Lily's Son
by MaryPotter3
Summary: AU Another wrong-boy-who-lived. Abused Harry. After James goes too far, Lily decides to leave with Harry. Will she be able to give her son the life he deserves? R&R, please.
1. Breaking Point

A/N: First of all, I'm not a native speaker of English. So I'm sorry for any grammar or spelling mistakes I'll make beforehand. Second, it's my first fic. I confess I'm not an expert in the field. Please be patient with me and help me improve in any way you can. Third, I have no self-confidence. Please word your criticism in a way that doesn't make me give up before I've even started.

Disclaimer: It's obvious I'm not JKR, isn't it? I just gave a short biography of mine above.

Chapter 1: Breaking Point

It was the Halloween of 1986, exactly five years after the night Voldemort attacked the Potters.

Lily and James were in an Order meeting when it happened, leaving their two sons with Lily's best friend, Emmeline. When they came back home, Emmeline's body was lying in the middle of the nursery, Harry's was lying in a corner and Davey, the older of the twins, was shaking Emmeline as if he wanted to wake her.

That scene changed the Potters' life forever.

James, oblivious to his surroundings, hugged Davey and shouted like the proud father he was, "My son did it. He defeated Voldemort."

Lily, on the other hand, checked Emmeline for a pulse. When she didn't find one, she staggered to her younger son, praying all the way that he would be alive. To her relief, Harry was breathing. The scar on his forehead which was bleeding a bit was the only apparent damage. She then scooped the lifeless body in her arms and cried in relief.

After that night, Davey was the apple of his father's eye and Harry, on the other hand, was the cause of every bad happening. At first, James ignored Harry most of the times, but as time passed, he scolded the boy and yelled at him for practically everything he did.

Lily tried to protect her younger son as best as she could, but sometimes she was just hopeless. A few times, while changing Harry, she had found bruises on his small body, bruises in shape of handprints, and the only thing she could do was cry and apologize to her son for not taking care of him better.

What worried her the most was the fact that Harry was afraid of doing magic. She didn't know how it was possible to be unable to do accidental magic in fear of being yelled at while it was fear in the first place which triggered the accidental magic.

And now, after five years of tolerating her husband's cruelty, Lily was clueless what to do. She was cleaning the kitchen without magic, trying not to think of the look on Harry's face when James had shown up with a new broomstick for Davey, 'a present for defeating Voldemort,' he'd claimed.

Gritting her teeth to stop tears, Lily was scrubbing the cabinets when she heard the sound of something colliding with the wall, being followed by shouts. She threw what was in her hands, took off her washing gloves hastily and hurried out of the room to where the angry shouts were coming from. She froze at the scene before her eyes.

James had grabbed Harry by the collar while the boy had a hand on the left side of his head. Lily couldn't see what damage was done to the small boy, but the sight of blood on the nearby wall confirmed her worries.

Nothing, absolutely nothing, could anger a man so much as to strike a defenseless boy, and yet James was yelling at Harry, inconspicuous of the blood coming from between his small fingers.

"What do you think you're doing?" James shouted, shaking the frightened boy. "You're stealing off your brother now after all I've done for you?"

"I-I didn't want to s-steal anything, Dad. I just wanted to see Dave's new b-broom. I'm sorry. P-please, don't hurt me."

Her son's shaking voice pleading for mercy and the hand connecting his beautiful round face crumpled Lily's world altogether.

"You'll be sorry when I'm finished with you," James yelled at him.

It was a miracle Davey hadn't woken up, considering the uproar that was taking place behind the closed door of his bedroom, but then it came to Lily's mind that James, being the perfect father he was, had probably cast Silencing Charms on the room so that no sound could disturb his son's well-deserved sleep.

Having seen enough, Lily leaped to her younger son and pulled him out of James's clutches. She pressed the trembling boy to her chest, trying to protect him with all her strength.

"You're not going to hurt my son. Not anymore," she yelled at her husband, her hand bowled behind Harry's head in a protective manner, pressing the boy's bloody face to her warm chest. "I can't take it anymore, James. Harry's just a child. How can you be so cruel? You're the rich descendant of the Potter line, for God's sake. Couldn't you buy two broomsticks for the two of your sons?"

"He gets what he deserves," James spat, motioning to Harry. "He should've been sent to an orphanage long ago. If only you could see reason…"

"Shut up," Lily interrupted. "Look who's talking about reasoning. You don't deserve having children." She hugged the crying boy harder and stood up. "I've put up with your prejudiced behavior for too long, James Potter. I'm taking my leave and I'm taking my children with me."

"No you won't. Dave's mine." James stood in front of Davey's door, looming over the mother and son. "Touch Dave and you'll lose Harry."

It was the reason she had put off her leaving so long. James knew her weakness and he was going to use it against her. She was afraid of losing either of her sons and James was making her choose between them.

"You'll regret it someday, James, and when you do you'll get no mercy," she said threateningly and left her husband to heal Harry and pack. Using magic, it didn't take long and she was out of the front door soon.

Lily didn't dare to see her older son for the last time, afraid of not being able to leave, although she knew James wouldn't let her in an attempt to change her mind. But she wasn't going to let James torture Harry any longer if it meant she had to bear the pain of losing one of her sons.

Willing to leave before she would give in, Lily looked back at the house with tearful eyes for the last time and Disapparated with Harry in her arms.

They spent the next week in the Leaky Cauldron while Lily tried to find a job and a place to live in. She travelled from shop to shop, coursing all through Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade with Harry's small hand in hers, talked to many witches and wizards and asked them if they needed anyone to work for them, but nothing was found.

Desperate as to what to do, Lily, at last, decided to ask the only person she could trust for help – Remus Lupin. Although he was James' best friend, Remus was a reasonable man who listened before making judgments. He was trustworthy and didn't act out of impulse. More importantly, his name was on the short list of the people who loved her Harry.

So, they were now sitting in the living room of Remus' small house, waiting for him to bring tea. Harry was latching to his mother's arm in fear as he had done the past few days when Remus came back with two cups of tea for Lily and himself and a glass of pumpkin juice for little Harry.

"You've heard of what happened, haven't you?" Lily sipped at her tea nervously as she waited for Remus' answer.

"James said some things, but I didn't know what to believe. I was waiting for you."

"What did he say?" she asked.

"That you'd had a fight and then you left with Harry."

Lily nodded simply. She then turned to Harry and whispered in his ear, "Don't you want to take a look around, love?"

Harry shook his head frantically.

"No. I want to stay with you."

"Then have your pumpkin juice," she held the glass for Harry to take. Harry obeyed instantly and grabbed the glass with his small hands. She then grabbed her own cup of tea and pressed on it nervously.

"Yes, we had a fight," she said, looking at Remus who was watching them with something akin to concern. "Did James say what the fight was over?"

"No, he didn't. That's why I was suspicious. That and the fact that you'd never do something without a good reason," he finished, looking at Lily for some explanations.

Lily swallowed another gulp of tea and looked at her quiet son from the corner of her eyes. He was drinking his pumpkin Juice slowly, paying attention not to pour anything on the couch and floor. It was a treat he had gained under James' strict behavior. Every stain he produced meant a smack, or at least a shout if he were lucky.

"I think I know the reason you left James," Remus spoke up as Lily didn't seem able to form the words. "I expected you to act sooner."

Lily looked up at him with wide eyes.

"So you've noticed it too."

"The way James treats Harry? Yes, I have. Partially, at least. Do you want me to talk to him?"

Lily ruffled her son's black messy hair and smiled at him before she turned her attention back to the sandy-haired man.

"I didn't come here to ask you to talk to James. In fact, I have no intention of going back there. I've missed Dave, but I'm sure he's safe with James, though Harry's story is different. I can't put him in danger of being killed by his own father."

Remus looked at Harry for a few seconds and then back at Lily.

"Do you really think he would go that far, Lily? James may be a fool sometimes, but he's not a murderer or he wouldn't have saved Severus, his supposed enemy, from me in our fifth year at Hogwarts."

"Don't make it sound anything other than what it was, Remus. He saved Severus because he didn't want you to be exposed and expelled, or worse, sent to Azkaban. It had nothing to do with Severus or James himself."

She looked at Harry who was putting his glass on the coffee table.

"Thank you, Uncle Remus," Harry mumbled as he carefully put the empty glass of pumpkin juice on the coffee table. He then leaned into his mother's protective embrace again.

"He's talked about sending Harry to an orphanage a few times," Lily resumed, her voice a bit shaking, as Harry cuddled to her for protection. "I've been scared of waking up and finding my son's bedroom empty for a while. James's growing out of control."

"May I ask what he exactly did, Lily?" Remus asked tentatively.

Lily gulped the lump which formed in her throat every time she thought of what James had done to her Harry before she replied.

"He hit Harry so hard that his head impacted the wall and got a fracture, and imagine it didn't stop James from yelling at my son," she put her hand around the boy protectively, "and slapping him. I bet he didn't even notice Harry's blood on his own fingers. And all this savage behavior for what? Because Harry wanted to go into his brother's room and see Dave's new broom. Perhaps I should've come here before I healed Harry, so you could see his bruised and bloody face." She sighed bitterly. "I don't want to talk about the other occasions when James has hurt my innocent child, but do you really think I should go back to live with that monster?"

Remus pushed his fringes back nervously and eyed the scared boy, clinging to his mother as if she would be taken from him if he let go.

"I understand," he said at last. "How may I help you?"

"I was trying to find a job," she explained. "I know it's silly to ask you for help, considering your condition, but you were the only one I could trust. I couldn't even go to Albus. He would make me go back to James for Dave's sake. The only thing they think of is the damn prophecy. I can't let my son's life be ruined for it."

Remus nodded, his eyes still on the scared child. Harry whispered something in his mother's ear that he could not hear, nor did he hear Lily's answer.

"Have you thought of working at the ministry?" Lily looked up at Remus hopefully as he went on, "Arthur was looking for a new member for his office, but being a werewolf wasn't really helpful to me. Perhaps I should talk to him about you."

"But he works on the same floor as James."

"The same floor, but different offices," Remus pointed out. "I'm sure Arthur can keep a secret if you do the precautionary actions."

Lily sighed as she ruffled Harry's hair absent-mindedly.

"I don't know." She shrugged. "Can you talk to Arthur about it?"

"It's the least I can do for you and Harry." Remus smiled at the quiet child. "Anything else?"

"No, thanks. I think we'd better go. Send us word when you talked to Arthur." She put Harry on the floor and stood up, grabbing the boy's hand in hers.

"By the way, where are you staying?"

Lily looked at Remus doubtfully, unsure if she could trust him with that piece of information. What if he told James where they stayed? But then she thought it would make no difference if he uncovered their hiding place. The Leaky Cauldron wasn't that much hidden and James could find them easily if he wished so.

"The Leaky Cauldron," she revealed at last.

"Why don't you come and stay here until you find some place of your own?" Remus offered. "My house is small, but it's enough for the three of us. You and Harry can have my bedroom while I sleep in the living room. You can save some money this way."

Lily seemed to weigh his offer, but Harry pulled at his mother's sleeve with all his might which wasn't much and mumbled, "No, mommy. Please let's go."

"Harry," Remus called the boy before Lily could open her mouth. "Don't you want to stay with me for a while? We can have so much fun together, child."

Harry shook his head to sides, his big eyes shining with unshed tears.

"Dad might find us."

Remus sighed at Harry's answer. How much had James gone that caused such a reaction from a six-year-old boy?

"But your mother is here with you. So am I. I won't let Dad take your mom away or hurt you. I promise."

Harry clung to his mother's leg in fear.

"Thanks for the offer, Remus. But you see," Lily motioned to Harry with her head. "We can't stay here."

Remus knelt before Harry and put a hand on his shoulder. He didn't take it off when Harry flinched.

"Harry, have I ever hurt you?" Harry shook his head in negative. "See, there's no reason to flinch."

"Look at me, Harry." When the frail boy obeyed, Remus added, "I won't tell your father that you're here and if he finds out some way, I promise I won't let him touch you or your mom. You're safer in here than the Leaky Cauldron. What do you say?"

Harry hesitated for a minute, his bright green eyes boring into Remus', and then gave a curt nod.

"Good. You're staying here. Let's go to the Leaky Cauldron and take your things."

Lily and Harry spent the next fortnight in Remus' place. The first few days, Harry was scared by every little sound, thinking that his dad would come out of the fireplace or appear out of thin air at any moment.

Fortunately, their time in Remus' house was only consisted of nights through which Lily locked the door to the bedroom to assure Harry that his father would not catch them. She also put Silencing Charms around the room to not cause Remus any disturbance in case Harry had a nightmare which happened a lot.

After talking to Arthur in person, Lily got a job in the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office. She spent her mornings in the ministry or out on raids, but she never let Harry out of her sight and took him with her everywhere she went.

In the evenings, they looked for a dwelling in the Muggle London together with Remus. Although the werewolf assured Lily that they could stay with him as long as they wanted, Lily was insisting to find somewhere as soon as possible, and so Remus accompanied her to be sure they would find some place safe.

Before the end of the two weeks, they found what they were looking for. They bought a small flat in a quiet alley with the money Lily had inherited from her parents and settled in with Remus' help.

It was a good thing they had that money. Lily remembered her last conversation with her sister. It was a few months after their parents' tragic death and Lily had decided to leave her inheritance to Petunia since James had enough money to last them for a lifetime, but her sister had rejected.

"I don't need _your_ money," Petunia had said in disgust as if Lily had an incurable disease before telling her that she had no wish to see her ever again.

Now after almost six years, it had come in handy and the mother and son were out of Remus' house before the full moon, as Lily had planned, to start a new life away from the threat of James and his prejudices.

TBC...


	2. A Sirius Meeting

A/N: Thanks to anyone who took their time to send a review. They're all appreciated. Now on with the answers:

**Naginator** I agree with you on both Remus and Severus. I'll try not to disappoint you. There's not going to be anything about Lily's love life for a while anyway. It's just Lily and Harry for now.

**ROBERT-19588** Lily's a Muggle-born through and through. I don't intend to change it.

**Nanettez** James thinks Dave is the boy-who-lived because he was conscious and Harry wasn't, a feeble conclusion on James' part, but it's not going to be like this forever. Dumbledore's opinion on the subject will be revealed later, after Harry starts Hogwarts. And about Neville, let's wait and see.

**SusakeUchiha** Special thanks for your long review. It seems no-one likes Lily/Severus or Lily/Remus pairings. I don't have anything against them, but I don't think any of them works for this story. I have other ideas in mind, but I don't know how they will turn out. And about school, Harry will attend Hogwarts for his first year, but I'm not going to give anything else out.

Disclaimer: I just checked my face in the mirror to make sure…

Chapter 2: A Sirius Meeting

The next two years passed in peace for the mother and son. As time passed, Harry's nightmares became less and less and he could at last sleep in his own bed instead of his mother's.

Being unable to meet her other son hurt Lily more than she expected, but she was still insistent on giving Harry the childhood he deserved not what James had planned for him. Yet, she had seen Davey a few times from distance, but had not dared talk to him, even though she was under disguise.

Remus came by a lot too to make sure they had no problems. As he had promised he had told neither James nor anyone else about their whereabouts, but one day he came with the news that Sirius had missed his godson and had asked to see them, though they didn't know how Sirius knew that Remus was in touch with the mother and son. After much thinking, Lily decided to give him a chance to say what he wanted. She told Harry about the meeting and let him decide whether he wanted to see Sirius and Harry had declined immediately.

Trying to avoid meeting his godfather, Harry was now in his bedroom practicing chess. He was willing to beat Ron, Arthur Weasley's son who sometimes came to the ministry with his father to keep Harry company. Fred, George and Ginny, Ron's siblings came with them on occasions, but after one of the uproars Fred and George, the troublesome Weasley twins, had caused, their mother was strictly against them accompanying their father.

Lily, on the other hand, was cleaning the kitchen – it was what she did every time she was nervous – as she was waiting for Sirius to come. It was a relief that Remus was accompanying Sirius and so Lily didn't have to worry about James showing up.

A knock on the door made her stop scrubbing the floor and take off her gloves. Their fireplace was not in the Floo Network since they hadn't registered the flat in the ministry. It was Remus' suggestion, as Lily seemed frightened to let anyone know where they lived, and so she had written Remus' address in her job employment form.

Lily opened the door with a pounding heart and if Remus weren't standing behind the door next to Sirius, she would've closed it in the Animagus' face. She invited them in nervously and ushered them to the couch in the living room and they all sat down. Lily herself sat in the armchair to the left of them in silence.

"So, how's life going on, Lils?" Sirius asked, breaking the icy silence.

"As fine as it could." She shrugged. "Umm… why do you want to see Harry?"

"I just miss my godson. Is there anything with it?" Sirius asked rhetorically, playing with his wand.

"Why after two years? You didn't seem to care for him before. Did James ask you to come here?" she asked, not looking Sirius in the eyes. Her eyes were fixed on the wand twirling in Sirius' hands time and again, ready to draw out her own if the Animagus dared to use magic.

"Of course not. He doesn't know I'm here. I can assure you he doesn't even know you're working for Arthur." Lily's head snapped up and she looked at Sirius with wide eyes.

"Yes, I know," Sirius resumed with a sigh. "I've known it since a few months ago, but I haven't told James. I wanted to talk to you before deciding whether I should tell James or not."

Lily didn't know if she could trust the Auror, but it made no difference anymore. Sirius was here and he could tell James where they lived whether Lily talked to him or not. Come to think of it, she could convince Sirius not to tell James.

"What do you want to know?" she asked.

Sirius looked at Remus for support and then turned to Lily.

"Why did you leave James and Dave? Why did you take Harry?" he asked. "You had a perfect life. How could you choose between your sons?"

"Choose? James has told you this, hasn't he?" She rubbed the back of her neck nervously. "You spent so much time with us. Didn't you see anything wrong with our so-called perfect life?"

Sirius frowned, not knowing what she was talking about.

"You were disowned by your family, weren't you?" Lily asked when she realized Sirius wasn't about to answer her question.

The black-haired man frowned, pocketing his wand. He pushed his long hair back and asked, "What does it have to do with your life?"

"We'll get there. Just wait," said Lily patiently. "How did it feel like to be ignored by your family while your supposedly Death Eater brother was loved?"

"What's this silly question?" Sirius asked, his voice rising in volume. "I think the fact that I ran away speaks for itself."

"Yes, it does. You hated them," she clarified. "And yet, you weren't treated like my Harry."

When Lily didn't elaborate, Sirius turned to Remus for explanation. His friend seemed uneasy by the conversation as he was rubbing his forehead.

"May I leave? I want to say hello to Harry," he said, standing up.

"Please sit down, Remus. You'd like to hear what I have to say," Lily said, while Sirius grabbed the werewolf's sleeve and sat him down.

Lily looked at Sirius again.

"It seems you've been so stupefied by your friend that you've never noticed his wrong behavior, but I have. I saw how prejudiced he was towards the twins because of a goddamned prophecy."

She rubbed her face a few times to control herself and went on, "When Dave's accidental magic broke the glass showcase all over Harry, he was rewarded for it and when Harry turned Dave's hair blue, he was punished for it. When Harry broke our golden vase, the Potters' heirloom, he was yelled at and backhanded for it. And guess what! It happened because he wanted to avoid the statue Dave threw his way and yet he cut his arm with a broken piece of vase, but it didn't matter to James."

"If," she paused, wiping some tears with her hands. "If Dave created a mess in the living room, James laughed at him. But a single drop of water on the kitchen floor caused by Harry resulted in him leaving the table without food. I had to sneak food for him when James was asleep or playing with Dave so that he wouldn't see me and punish my son for it."

She couldn't stop crying anymore. She hadn't told any of this to anyone before, but now she was doing it not for her own sake, but for her Harry's.

"You don't know how I felt when I changed Harry's clothes and found finger marks on his small body," she said as her body shook with silent, long-time repressed sobs. "You didn't see the look on his face every time James showed up with a new present for Dave, because you were looking at Dave's antics with fascination."

"Lily…"

"No," Lily put a shaky hand up to stop Remus. "Let me finish. You never tucked him in to hear what he said before going to sleep. 'Mom, why doesn't dad love me?' 'Why are you crying, mom? Did I do something wrong?' 'I promise to be a good boy, mom. Don't let dad hurt me.' 'Will dad love me if I become a great wizard?' 'Why doesn't…"

"Stop it, Lily, please," Sirius cried, his head trapped between his hands while Remus was holding back tears.

"Does it hurt to hear the truth?" Lily asked after taking a deep breath to control her emotions. "Yes, the truth is bitter. Imagine what it feels like to see it with your own eyes. Imagine what it feels like when you suffer it first-hand. Harry was even afraid of doing accidental magic. How it was possible is out of me."

She sniffed, but didn't stop.

"Every morning I woke up, the first thing I did was to check on Harry. You know why? Because I wanted to make sure if my son was still in his room. What if I woke up one day and found my son's bed empty? Where could I find him? In an orphanage? Behind someone's door? In the streets? I had to live with the fear of losing my son and you're talking of choosing."

She shook her head in a desperate attempt to rid herself of the painful memories.

"You don't want to hear what your friend told me, how he threatened me. 'Touch Dave and you'll lose Harry.' That's what he said. What could I do? I wanted to take both with me, but I couldn't. You have no idea how much I miss Dave."

"I've been to your department under disguise a few times," she added, looking at Sirius. "I saw my son from distance, but I didn't have the courage to go and talk to him. What a brave Gryffindor I am! I wanted to take him and run away, but I couldn't. James is an Auror. He'll find me in a second if he wishes so, and then I'll lose both of my sons. Don't talk as if you know what it feels like."

The living room was quiet for a while. Everyone's mind was wrapped in their own thoughts. Their deep breathing was the only sound that could be heard. Lily twined her shaky hands together to stop the shaking as she watched the two men in the room closely. They looked devastated by her words.

"Are you going to tell James where we live, Sirius?" she asked, not really caring about the answer anymore. No-one could hurt her son as long as she was around.

Sirius shook his head slowly as if in a daze.

"I'm sorry, Lils. I was mad at you all this time and now I see I've been wrong all along."

Lily gave a quick nod. She was used to being misjudged and it didn't really matter to her as long as her son was happy. She still received unapproving glances from Molly Weasley on the few occasions they met for abandoning Dave, but she had always ignored them and had not once tried to correct the woman.

"I don't know," Sirius resumed, "how I could ignore my godson while he was always there. When you left I missed him for the first time, but I wasn't ready to come and see him, because I was afraid of confronting the truth. What if there was something I didn't know? What if my friend was the guilty party? But now I see that I've been guilty too."

"I'm sorry. I don't know if I can make up for the past, but I'll do anything to be forgiven." He rubbed his hands together, contemplating whether he should continue or not. "Can I come and see Harry sometimes?" he asked at last.

"It's up to Harry," Lily answered immediately. "I can't make his decisions, but I can tell you he's really forgiving."

"Can I go and see him now?"

Lily hesitated. She couldn't trust the Auror on his first visit.

"I know what you're thinking about," Sirius said. "That I may have a Portkey. Or I may grab Harry and Disapparate. I'll give you a Wizard's Oath that I'm not going to do this. In the past two years, I've heard James lots of times talk about how he misses you, but I've never heard him say Harry's name. Not even once. I'm not going to take Harry to someone who doesn't like him a bit."

Lily looked at Remus who nodded at her reassuringly and back at Sirius.

"Okay, but it's still up to Harry."

"I'll go talk to him," Remus said, standing up, and left the room.

Sirius and Lily didn't talk while Remus was away. They stayed in their positions without moving a muscle. A quarter later, Remus was back with Harry. At the sight of the frail boy, Sirius got up and stepped toward him slowly, trying not to frighten the boy. He knelt before Harry who was looking at the floor and touched his cheek smoothly. Harry's head snapped up at the touch. He gulped in fear and took a step back.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Harry." Sirius put his hands up for Harry to see. "You've grown a few inches, kiddo," he said, staring into Harry's magnificent green eyes.

Harry gave a quick nod, not taking his eyes off Sirius.

"I missed you, Harry," Sirius said, trying to catch an answer, but Harry chose to remain silent. Sirius examined the eight-year-old boy head to toe and then looked at his eyes again. "I'm sorry for the past. Will you forgive me?" he asked hopefully.

Harry glanced at his mother whose bloodshot eyes betrayed she had been crying. He received a reassuring smile and turned back to Sirius. "You hurt my mom. She's the one you should ask for forgiveness," he said in an accusing tone of voice.

Sirius looked between Harry and Lily and then smiled at Harry.

"You're a lot like your mother, even though you have your father's looks." He took Harry's hands in his own and didn't let him take them away.

"You think I want to kidnap you?" Sirius asked, looking into Harry's fearful wide eyes. Harry nodded hesitantly.

Remus put a hand on Harry's shoulder from behind. "Harry, I told you we'd take care of you, your mom and I. There's nothing to be scared of. We're here with you." He gave Harry's shoulder a gentle squeeze. Harry nodded again, but didn't say anything.

"Actually," Sirius winked at Harry before going on, "I was thinking of shrinking you and hiding you in my pocket."

"Sirius," Remus started, but stopped when he heard Harry's sincere laughter.

"Have you washed you trousers, Uncle Sirius?" Sirius cocked his head to one side and looked at Harry confusedly.

"I don't want to smell when you take me out of your pocket," the boy joked, bringing a laugh out of Sirius which turned into a sob.

In the next moment, Sirius pulled Harry into a tight hug and whispered in his ear, "I'm sorry, kiddo. I love you. I really do."

Harry, Sirius and Remus spent the next hour in Harry's room. Even though Remus was with them, Lily checked on Harry from time to time to make sure there were no problems. Her son seemed to be a bit uneasy by the whole situation, but he tried to not show it and act as normally as he could, though his frequent flinching at the touch of the Animagus did not remain unnoticed by the three adults, as if he expected to be Disapparated as soon as Sirius touched him.

"Sirius, wait a minute. There's something I need to give you," Lily told Sirius when he wanted to leave. She went to her bedroom to retrieve the object she wanted to give Sirius.

"Give it to James, please," she said, putting her wedding ring in Sirius' hand. "We never had a divorce officially. Now, I think, is the time."

"But…"

"No," Lily cut Sirius off. "It's been two years. There's no way we can live together again. Tell James to choose a date and I'll be there to end this long broken relationship. Tell him Remus is our link."

Sirius nodded in comprehension.

"Something else before you leave," said Lily with a smile. "I don't want you to break your friendship with James because of what I said. Please take care of Dave for me."

"Don't worry. Whatever happens between me and James doesn't change the fact that I'm Dave's godfather. I love that child and, no matter what, I'll take care of him."

With that said, Sirius left with Remus and Lily went to Harry's room to ask him about his afternoon with his two uncles.

"He was fine," was the only thing Harry said when asked about his godfather.

"Do you want to see him again?" Lily asked.

"I don't know." Harry shrugged. "Whatever you say…"

"Harry," Lily interrupted, kneeling before her son and grabbing his upper arms. "It's your life we're talking about. You can see him if you'd like. I'm not against it if it's what you think."

"Will you be there too, mom?"

"Of course I will. I won't leave your side." She squeezed Harry's arms gently. "What's bothering you, love?" she asked, taking Harry's nervous look in.

"It's what Uncle Sirius said. That I look like Dad. Doesn't it bother you to look at me?"

"Why should it?"

"I may remind you of Dad. Don't you miss him?"

Lily smiled and hugged her son. She didn't think this would bother Harry so much as to be worried about what his mother thought of his looks.

"No, I don't. Besides, I always look at your eyes."

At the end of the following week, Lily and James divorced officially. Sirius had apparently had a hard time convincing his best friend to accept Lily's suggestion, but it worked at last. They didn't bring the children with themselves as Harry stayed with Remus and Dave with Sirius.

When Lily came back home to Harry and Remus, she looked devastated. After greeting the two and making sure her son was okay, she resorted to cleaning the kitchen without magic to pent up her anger. It wasn't the divorce itself that had made her angry, but the way James had acted.

"Lily, don't let such a trivial thing ruin our life," James had said. "I'm ready to forget everything if you just decide to come back. Dave needs you."

"What of Harry?" Lily had asked, although she didn't know what James was ready to forget.

"Why do you let a good-for-nothing weakling affect your decisions? I don't want that boy to corrupt my perfect son."

Lily hadn't said anything against that unfair comment of James, even though she had many things to say. She wanted to yell at her soon-to-be ex-husband that Harry was not weak, that he was the best child every parent could wish for, but she knew James wouldn't listen to a single word she said if it were in favor of Harry.

Wrapped in thoughts, she didn't realize when she had stopped scrubbing the floor and had begun crying, until Harry's soft voice brought her into reality.

"Mom."

Lily looked up at the green orbs glowing with concern. She took a deep breath to stop crying and dried her face on her sleeve. She then crawled to the wall adjourning the door to fetch the rag she had thrown at some point in her anger and resumed scrubbing the shiny floor, not showing any sign of noticing Remus standing in the doorway at all.

"I'm sorry, mom."

"Whatever for, love?" she asked, not looking up at Harry.

"For the divorce," Harry whispered. "It's all because of me, isn't it? If I wasn't born…"

"No, it's not," Lily cut him off. She cursed herself for not realizing how her son felt. She released the rag and took off her gloves.

"Never say that again, understood?" Her voice was a bit too high for her liking. Harry didn't say anything and just looked to the floor.

"I'm sorry, Harry." She pushed Harry's head up with a gentle touch. "Look at me, love. I'm not angry at you, but at your father, and it has nothing to do with you. We didn't get along and decided to break up. Never blame it on yourself."

Harry gave a quick jerky nod.

"What did Dad say about us meeting Dave?"

Lily didn't think it would be so important to Harry. After all, the way James treated the boys didn't leave them with a brotherly relationship. But then it came to her mind that Harry's question was actually meant about Lily meeting Dave as he had seen her crying while looking at Dave's pictures a few times.

She opened her mouth to answer Harry's question, but no word came out. What could she say to the boy? That his father didn't want him to corrupt his brother? That his father thought of him as a good-for-nothing weakling? She closed her mouth and shook her head simply.

"I'm sorry," Harry mumbled.

Lily swallowed as she felt bile moving up and down her throat. Why did her innocent son think he was the reason for every mishap in her life? Sighing bitterly, she pressed the fragile boy to her chest since she wasn't sure her voice would cooperate and felt warm inside when Harry gave back the gesture.

That night, Remus stayed for dinner, not listening to Lily say that James needed him now and claiming that he was more needed here.

"Do you want to talk about this evening?" he asked Lily after Harry had left the table.

Lily put the dirty dishes in the sink and sat in her chair. She didn't know if she wanted Remus to hear about the way James had reacted to the whole situation.

"James," she started, but couldn't continue. She poured a glass of water for herself and sipped at it.

"James acted as if he was doing some transaction," she said, putting the glass down on the table. "The way he talked of splitting the boys as if they were objects, it was cruel. I don't know what I saw in him, accepting his offer of a happy life." She took a deep breath and leaned back in her chair.

"But it's finished now," she added. "We have a new life ahead, Harry and I, and we're going to enjoy every minute of it."

A/N: Time to Apparate. Hope you liked it. Send owls in case you did.


	3. Unexpected Encounter

A/N: Sorry for the long wait. I was out of the city for a few days and I've been sick since I'm back. This nasty headache is killing me. Anyway, thanks for all the lovely reviews. They're all appreciated greatly.

**jessirose85** Whether Severus and Lilly will be friends again depends on Severus' behavior towards Harry when comes the time for him to attend Hogwarts. Just wait and see.

**GenoBeast** There's not going to be a Sirius/Lily pairing. It's hard to think of Sirius falling in love with Lily or vice versa. As for Dave, I hope he turns out slightly better than Dudley.

**Karrottop** I have nothing against Severus. In fact, I like his character a lot. But he's not going to be in until Harry goes to Hogwarts and I can't promise you a lovely Severus.

**Quinsie** I'll write about James' motivations later on. It's not all about the boy-who-lived stuff, though it plays a major role. There's going to be a long conversation between Lily and James on the matter, but it won't take place until Harry goes to Hogwarts. Probably at the end of his first year.

**RebeccaRoy** Sirius doesn't like Lily in that way. He may be angry with James, but he still sees him like a brother. He will never betray James like that, no matter what, since James' family was the one who took him in when he was disowned by his own flesh and blood.

**RZA** Back in school, Lily could be herself. She didn't have to worry about others. It didn't matter if she lost Severus as a friend. It's not the same about your blood children. Children change you in ways you don't expect. Besides, Lily never cried in front of James. Neither when she left nor when they divorced. She was strong-willed enough to leave with Harry and live an independent life. Yet, she's yelled at James before (I'll write about that later) and will yell at him again when the time comes. You just need to wait. Anyway, this fic is completely AU. I don't have to stick to the characters, do I?

Disclaimer: I've decided to dye my hair blonde…

Chapter 3: Unexpected Encounter

Lily was sitting behind her desk in her temporary office on the third floor. It was smaller than her old one, but it wouldn't be a problem since they weren't going to spend more than a week there. Their old office on the second floor had been emptied to be cleaned and changed in size and decoration and they were granted a small unused office on the third floor where the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes resided.

After a quick survey of the room, Lily focused her attention on her son. Harry was playing chess with Ron as usual while Ginny cheered Harry on enthusiastically. The almost-eight-year-old girl seemed to be fond of Harry as she encouraged him.

"Go on, Harry. You can do it. I know you can," she exclaimed, her hands curled into fists.

"Shut it, Ginny. You're distracting me," Ron protested with a deep frown which was ignored simply as the girl continued her encouraging words.

Lily looked at her son with fascination. Harry seemed to be deep in thought, oblivious to the sibling row. He was commanding the pieces like a commander would do the soldiers. Lily smiled at him as she waited for the game to be finished, hoping that her son would beat Ron for the first time. Harry's plea to stay until the end of the game was the reason they were still at the Ministry instead of home.

"Checkmate," Harry cried as he jumped up, almost knocking his chair and the table unto the floor, though some chess pieces were truly scattered on the floor shouting profanities at him.

"I won. I won. I won," he chanted happily, grabbing Ginny's hands as they bounced up and down in sheer joy.

"Look what you've done to my chess set," Ron spat in anger, making Harry to stop jumping and grin at him.

"Come on, Ron," he said. "Don't be so pissed off. It was my first time to win."

"I couldn't concentrate with Ginny yelling into my ears, could I?"

Ginny glared at her brother and then turned to Harry.

"Don't pay him any attention, Harry. He's mad that he's lost."

"I'm not," Ron yelled angrily. "I won't play with you anymore," he hissed, glaring at Harry.

"Like I care," Harry spat.

It wasn't the first time the siblings had a fight over the way Ginny cheered Harry on, but it was more renowned now that Harry had won the game. Lily shook her head at their childish row and stepped in to prevent any unexpected event.

"Enough, boys," she warned. "Don't fight over a game of chess."

"Sorry, mom," Harry mumbled and occupied himself with collecting the pieces from the floor and putting them away. He gave the set back to Ron with a smile, receiving a deadly glare.

Sighing bitterly, Lily ushered the three out of her office and into Arthur Weasley's so she could give Ron and Ginny back to their father and bid her boss goodbye.

"See you later," Harry said, giving Ginny a quick hug, and left the room with his mother. While out of the room, his face lit up again. "I really won, mom. Can you believe it?"

"You were spectacular, love," Lily complemented, ruffling her son's messy hair and listening to his happy mumblings, as they waited for the elevator. She didn't think any disguise would be needed since there were no Aurors lurking about the third floor.

Lily froze on the spot when the door slid open and revealed three familiar figures. James, Dave and Sirius were occupying the elevator as either grown-up had a hand on one of the boy's shoulders. Harry's words died down on her ears as she locked eyes with James. She overlooked her ex-husband's furious gaze and looked at her older son. Dave was looking at her with unemotional brown eyes, giving Lily the idea that he had either forgotten his mother or had not heard good things about her, even though both seemed unlikely by the words she had heard Sirius say about the boy.

Lily scanned her son up and down as her green eyes filled with old tears, though she wasn't about to let any of them roll down in front of James. She had not seen Dave from such a short distance for years. It took all her will to keep her composure and not to leap to him and hug the bespectacled boy with brown hair (like his paternal grandmother) which was clearly ruffled too much to adopt the messy state of his father's. When she looked at Dave's eyes again, there was a longing look in them, but then Sirius activated the elevator again.

The resentful look in James' eyes was the last thing she glimpsed before the door slid closed. It didn't take Lily long to realize James' resentful look was directed at Harry. She turned to her son to find him trembling head to toe while his eyes were fixed on the closed door of the elevator.

"Harry," she called, but received no answer. Lily stepped towards her son and knelt before him. Harry's big eyes were looking past her shoulder at where his father once was and he clearly looked shocked.

"Harry," she called again, her hands grabbing Harry's thin arms gently. Harry flinched at the contact and came out of his trance.

"Dad hates me," he whispered, his tearful eyes now on his mother's worried face. Lily wanted to disagree, but her mouth didn't cooperate, knowing that the boy was right. James hated him with a passion with which not even an enemy could match and their break-up had not helped it either as James believed, according to Sirius, that it was Harry's fault which had severed their ties. Feeling speechless, Lily hugged Harry's trembling body. Harry's tears washed her shoulder, but she didn't let go of the boy. A few of the Ministry employees who crossed the area glanced at the mother and son, but fortunately no-one bothered them.

"It's okay, love. He can't hurt you," Lily whispered in her Harry's ears as her hand began rubbing circles on the boy's back to soothe him. When Harry calmed down, Lily pushed him back and held him at arms' length.

"Harry," she said, a smile brushing her sad face. Harry looked at her, but didn't say anything. Lily dried his flushed cheeks with bare hands and said, "I love you."

Harry nodded, but still remained quiet. He glanced at the hands grabbing his arms again and then at his mother's calming eyes.

"C-can we go home, please?" he asked, barely above a whisper.

"Yes, we can."

Lily gave her son a quick kiss on the forehead before they departed for home.

Back at home, Harry was quiet the whole day. He had confined himself to his room and didn't even let his mother come in. Despite being able to unlock the door magically, Lily had decided to give him some privacy and wait until he would come to her. Although it was logical at first, it didn't bode well when Lily heard unexpected sounds coming out of the room. She soon was inside Harry's room to find the boy shouting desperately while he was throwing his belongings at the opposite wall.

"Harry," she tried worriedly, but there was no reaction from Harry showing he had heard her.

"No," Harry yelled in pure anger as he took his double picture with his mother from the nightstand and threw it across the room. The picture frame shattered at the compact with the wall. It was all Lily needed to realize her son was feeling worse than she had thought. Harry worshipped that picture with all his heart. He would never throw it unless…

Lily leaped to her son before he could throw anything else and tried to hug him in a desperate attempt to calm him down, but the frail boy resisted with all his might which was surprisingly high for his body.

"Harry, please."

"Let me go," Harry cried and in the next moment, Lily found herself across the room. A shocked yell issued out of her mouth as her back and head contacted painfully with the door frame, bringing tears of pain to her eyes. The unbearable pain caused by Harry's accidental magic was worth it as Harry stopped his act of anger (no matter how destructive Harry's accidental magic had been in the past years, it always relieved Lily that her son could do magic despite the fear his father had implanted in his very existence). Coming to his senses, Harry rushed to his mother and knelt by her side.

"I'm sorry, mom. Are you okay?" he asked in a shaky voice, grabbing his mother's upper arm.

Lily rubbed at the back of her head with her right hand and moaned. It wasn't wet with blood which was good, but didn't ease her pain. She cracked her eyes open and looked at the concerned expression on her son's face. She forced a smile and nodded.

"What about you?" she asked in a soft voice. At the lack of response, she took a deep breath and shifted her sore body a bit to face her son. "I'm sorry for earlier today. I wish I could do something to make up for your dad."

"I know, mom, but it still hurts," he whispered the last part as tears welled up in his eyes.

Lily hugged her son, the pain in her heart outdoing the one in her back. She pressed Harry's face to her chest and rubbed at his back gently as the boy's tears washed the front of her blouse. She didn't bother saying anything since she knew no words would do what the near contact could. She positioned Harry on her lap and let him cry his misery out. They remained like that for a few more minutes after Harry's crying had subsided until Harry felt it right to separate his cheek from his mother's chest.

"I'm sorry for the room," he whispered, looking into his mother's smiling eyes. He took a look around the messy room which resembled a battle field until his eyes stopped on the broken picture frame not a few meters away from where they were sitting. He crawled to the picture and took it in his hand, examining it to assess the damage.

"Will you fix it?" he asked his mother hopefully.

"Of course I do," Lily said, holding her hand out for the picture. She fixed it with a quick Reparo and handed it back to her son.

"Thanks," Harry whispered. "I think a lot of my things need fixing." He took another look around the room and then looked back at his mother. "Did I hurt you?"

"No," Lily lied, not wanting to hurt her son more. "We'd better start tidying your room. It's almost time for dinner."

It didn't take long since Lily could use magic. When the room was all clean, they left for the kitchen to have dinner. Setting the table together, they both sat down.

"Harry, why aren't you eating?" Lily asked when Harry kept playing with his food. "Don't you like it?"

"No, it's okay. I was thinking about this morning," he said, looking up at his mother. Lily waited for him to continue when he felt like it. Harry played with his food a bit longer and then said to his food, "It wasn't a good day. First Ron and then dad."

"It wasn't all bad. You beat Ron at chess for the first time."

Harry snorted loudly.

"And for the last time I bet," he said, looking up again. "I'm sure Ron will never play with me again. He won't accept my friendship either."

"Don't judge him so soon, love."

"Why not? He comes to the Ministry because his dad wants him to. It has nothing to do with me. What else? He sure prefers the Boy-Who-Lived to a pathetic boy. You don't believe me, ask him."

Gritting his teeth, he let go of his spoon and folded his arms over his chest.

Lily knew Harry was right. Ron would have given their secret out long ago if it weren't for the warnings his father had given him.

"You're not pathetic," Lily started. "If he doesn't want to befriend you, then he doesn't deserve your friendship. It's not your problem, but his. And guess what! I think Ginny has a bit of a crush on you."

Harry blushed at the words profusely, but tried to act normal. He grabbed his spoon again and this time, instead of playing with his food, shoved a spoonful into his mouth and occupied himself with chewing on it.

"You're still awake," Lily stated when she entered her son's bedroom that night to kiss him goodnight. Harry was lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling.

"What're you thinking about, love?" she asked.

"Nothing."

Lily could easily detect the lie behind the answer. The way Harry mumbled the word was betraying enough, not to mention the look on his face and the long sigh after the single word.

"Do you want me to tell you a story?"

"I can read," Harry said with a shrug.

"Can I lie on your bed?"

Harry slid his small body aside without a word to make space for his mother.

"Have I ever told you that you're the best thing that has ever happened to me?" Lily asked after she lay next to her son.

Harry nodded with a small smile.

"Yeah, I should've told you that at least a dozen times, but I don't think I've ever told you about the worst moment of my life."

"When was it?" Harry asked curiously, rolling to his side to see his mother's face.

"It was when you were born. You know why?" She smiled upon seeing the frown on her son's face and added, "Because you weren't breathing. When I heard the healer say that you'd stopped breathing, I felt like dying. It was the scariest thing that had ever happened to me. But then there were a few spells and you cried. I cried as well when I heard you cry. That was the best moment of my life."

She took Harry's hands in hers and looked the boy in the eyes, the eyes that he had inherited from her.

"I love you, Harry, no matter what your father says or does. Never forget that. Now go to sleep and don't worry about anything. I'm staying with you."

Lily decided to sleep in Harry's bed to make sure her son didn't suffer from any nightmares. She knew that after the encounter they had with James, Harry would relive the memories of the past, resulting in the old nightmares that had long ago left Harry alone. She was right as she woke around 4 a.m by the sound of Harry moaning. She tried to calm her son by brushing her hand into the boy's messy hair and chanting soothing words into his ears.

The next morning, as Harry had anticipated, Ron didn't show up at the Ministry with his father and sister. Having nothing to play with, the children decided to wander around the department and explore it. It was a relief to Lily that Ginny had come to make Harry company and considering they were on the third floor other than the second, she had nothing against Harry going out of the office as there were no Aurors around. Lily reminded herself to buy her son his very own chess set for his birthday which was in a month before she set to work in the strange silence.

The rest of the day was as normal as it could be until that evening at home. Harry was watching TV while Lily was reading when someone knocked on the door. Harry jumped up to open the door when his mother chastised him.

"What have I told you about opening the door, Harry?" Lily asked with a serious look on her face. Her beautiful features could easily take the shape of an enraged animal when it came to Harry's safety.

"Never open the door. It's not like wizards need to knock," Harry mumbled as he sunk in his armchair to watch the boring program. Putting her book aside, Lily ruffled Harry's hair before leaving him to open the door.

"Sirius, what are you doing here?" she asked as soon as she found Sirius behind the door of their flat.

"I should've come yesterday, but James wanted me to have dinner with them and I couldn't find a good excuse to get away. How's Harry?" he asked.

It was almost a year since the day Sirius had paied them a visit for the first time and since then, he came by at least twice a week to spend some time with his godson. By his words throughout the year, Lily had come to realize that he had not told James about their meetings and she was relieved it was the case.

"He's okay now, but he was scared and angry yesterday. Come in," she invited the unregistered Animagus in and closed the door behind them.

"It was obvious he was scared. I should've closed the door to the elevator sooner, but I was shocked as well," Sirius said as he made his way to where Harry was sitting.

"Uncle Sirius," Harry's face lit up when he saw his godfather. He jumped down the cozy armchair and ran into the open arms Sirius had offered him. The godfather and godson had come to an intimate relationship over the past year and Lily was not scared anymore to leave them in a room alone, though they had never spent any time outdoors.

"I missed you," Sirius said, pressing the boy to his chest.

"But you saw me yesterday," Harry said into his godfather's chest.

"It wasn't the same since I didn't have the opportunity to hug you." Sirius parted the boy from his chest and looked into his brilliant green eyes. "Wanna know what I've brought with me?" he asked and ushered Harry to the window when the boy nodded.

"Do you see that motorcycle?" he asked, pointing to a red motorcycle outside the building. "That's mine. Guess what it does!" Harry shrugged as he stared at the motorcycle.

"Okay, I tell you. It can fly," Sirius said, feeling sad for not taking Harry out flying before while he had taken Dave lots of times even before Lily had left with Harry. He was grateful that Lily hadn't told the boy anything about the flying motorcycle and their cruelty.

"Really? Wow," Harry exclaimed, not taking his eyes off the flying motorcycle. "Can we fly it?"

"That's why I brought it here. To take you flying," Sirius answered, ruffling the boy's messy black hair.

"Mom," Harry called, turning to his mother who was listening to their every word. "Can I go flying with Uncle Sirius?"

Confronting with those big green eyes, Lily was at a loss for words. She couldn't let her son down by disagreeing to let him go out with his godfather, no matter how worried she was. She remembered what she had said to Harry the first time they had met Sirius – that it was for Harry to decide whether he wanted to see his godfather again or not.

"Please, mom."

Lily smiled, looking her son in the eyes. There was no way she could reject those pleading eyes shining with hope.

"I'm going to change," Harry shouted when his mother nodded in affirmative before leaving for his room to change.

"You still don't trust me, do you?" Sirius asked Lily, speaking her fears out, while they were waiting for Harry.

"I don't even trust myself with Harry," Lily answered truthfully as she leaned back in the sofa. "He's so fragile I fear he might break at any second."

"What happened yesterday?" Sirius asked when Lily stopped talking and didn't elaborate her comment.

"He locked himself in his room and then started shouting and throwing everything he could get his hands on. It was a mess. It was when he knocked me to the wall with his accidental magic that he realized what he was doing. Thanks for coming to see him."

"No, you have nothing to thank for. I enjoy spending time with him."

"How's Dave?" Lily asked, changing the subject to her other son.

"Fine. He was a bit sad after he saw you, but I cheered him up," Sirius answered. "It was James who made a problem. He was talking about Harry nonstop. I don't think I need to tell you what he said."

Lily shook her head since she knew quite well every single word James would utter. She had heard enough in the five years she had doomed her younger son to the uncaring hands of her husband.

"What were you doing on the third floor?" Sirius asked, dragging Lily away from unwanted thoughts.

"I thought you knew. We moved to the third floor yesterday morning. They're redecorating our office a bit."

"I'm ready," Harry exclaimed as he ran into the living room, breaking up the conversation.

"Don't take too long. Be back for dinner," Lily said, giving her son a quick hug. "Will you stay for dinner, Sirius? Remus's coming as well."

It was Harry's idea to invite Remus for dinner. He was anxious to tell the werewolf about his first win at chess over Ron which was the result of Remus' good teachings as the boy claimed.

"I don't see why not. We'll be back for dinner," Sirius answered, ushering the boy out of the building and into the street.

Lily looked out of the window at her son who happily sat in front of Sirius on his motorcycle. She hoped James' two best friends would make up for his behavior as the motorcycle drove away to find an empty region to take off the ground.

A/N: It's not the way I expected it to be, but I hope you liked it. The consequences of the encounter will be revealed in the next chapter.

**A word to those of you who have alerted/favorited this fic:** I like to have some reviews from you. Nothing special, mind you. Just tell me if you like some part more than the rest or if there's some part you don't like. Thank you for your great support.


	4. The Twins Birthday

A/N: Thank you for your reviews. I treasure every single word you send. Feel free to ask any questions you have. I'll be delighted to answer them and clear up your confusion. Before I start with the fourth chapter, there are two reviews from two unregistered readers I need to answer.

**M** Thanks for the complement. It means a lot to me. I don't think I deserve it, though.

**Heh** Thank you for your review. It's not that Harry doesn't hate them. He doesn't care about Dave like a brother would do, but he cares about his mother and doesn't want to see her unhappy. As for James, Harry has contradicting feelings towards his father, but he's more hurt and scared than hateful. Anyways, any child would like their father to love them, no matter what, and even though Harry knows that James hates him, deep down he still hopes there's some love hidden somewhere in his father's heart and he seeks it.

Disclaimer: Everyone can wish, but not every wish comes true…

Chapter 4: The Twins Birthday

After the encounter Lily and Harry had with James and Dave, James had become as paranoid as his ex-wife and had confined Dave to the Auror Office. According to Sirius' words, not being as patient as Harry, Dave had drawn the Aurors out of their minds with his nonstop complaints.

Having discovered that Lily was working for Arthur, James had decided to quit his job at last and accept Dumbledore's offer. He was now Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts which meant Harry had more freedom at the Ministry. The boy spent most of his time in the Auror Office with his godfather and the other Aurors. His favorite was the paranoid Head-Auror Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody and the young Auror, as the other Aurors called Harry, was always repeating Moody's words about Constant Vigilance.

All-in-all, life flourished in peace for the mother and son as none of them had to worry about meeting James anymore, even though it hurt Lily not to see her other son at all.

It was almost a year since the last time Lily had seen her older son and she was now sitting on her bed going through their photo album as tears washed her cheeks. Tomorrow was Davey's tenth birthday as it was Harry's. She still hoped that Sirius could convince James to let Dave come to the Auror Office so that she could secretly watch her son, but it was yet to happen.

Taking a sigh, she closed the album to go and check on Harry. The boy had not come out of his room since they had come back home from the Ministry and Lily was adamant to find out the reason behind his unusual behavior. She entered the bathroom to wash her tearful face before departing for her son's bedroom. Harry had seen her enough times crying and Lily wasn't going to ruin his birthday with this. She looked at her face in the mirror as she washed up. The physical and emotional pressure in the past years had taken its toll, causing Lily to lose a few pounds. Not caring about herself anymore, she dried her face and left to meet her younger son.

"How are you, love?" Lily asked when she entered Harry's room and found the boy lying on his bed.

"'M fine," he mumbled.

"Have I ever told you that you can't lie to me?" she asked rhetorically, sitting on the edge of Harry's bed. "What is it?"

"Dad has invited the Weasleys for Dave's birthday."

"And…?" Lily said, urging the boy to go on.

"And Ginny can't come here because her parents expect her to go with them. I wish they weren't…"

"Harry," Lily chastised her son, cutting him off. After James had found out that Arthur had kept Lily's job secret from him, he had made quite a scene with the man at the Ministry. Although Lily had not had the opportunity to watch the spectacle first-seat, she had heard enough to predict what would happen in the future: his ex-husband had severed his ties with the Weasleys and had not invited them for Dave's birthday. As it seemed, the two families' relationship had gone back to normal, and she was sure it was Dave's doing – James couldn't say 'no' to his perfect son.

"She's the only friend I've got. Why should Dave have everyone?" Harry asked. He didn't yell. It was a desperate comment for attention.

"You have me, love. Who else do you want?" Lily joked with a sad smile and ruffled the boy's hair. "You can invite Ginny the day after your birthday, anyway," she suggested when Harry smiled back.

"It's not the same," Harry said with a sigh.

Knowing he was right, Lily didn't insist more and let her son come to terms with it on his own as she left to prepare dinner.

"Harry, what do you want for your birthday?" Lily asked after they had dinner. The mother and son were sitting in the living room, watching the most ridiculous soup opera ever.

"I don't know," Harry said simply, not even thinking for an answer.

Lily took a deep breath as she pulled her son into a side hug.

"I know what you want," she said. "I'm sorry, love. We don't have enough money for that at the moment, but I promise to buy you one for your 11th birthday."

"What're you talking about, mom?" Harry asked with a grin. He knew what his mother meant, but he thought it was ungrateful of him to put her under more pressure after what she had done for his happiness. Since the day he had gone flying on Sirius' motorcycle, having a broomstick was the most important thing on Harry's mind. He had once told his mother that if he just had a broomstick, he wouldn't care anymore about what his father thought of him, though now that he thought of his comment, it seemed more childish than it had sounded before.

"Okay. I believe you don't know," Lily said, kissing Harry's messy hair. "Now, what do you want?"

"Can I have a pet?" Harry asked. His mother deserved an answer, and he wasn't going to deny her that.

"Of course. Do you want an owl, or maybe a cat?"

"I was thinking of an owl."

"So that's our plan: we'll go to Diagon Alley tomorrow after work and buy you the most beautiful owl ever."

The next day, since they had come back from Diagon Alley with a snowy owl, Harry was in his room poring over different books. It was unusual for a boy his age to spend most of his birthday reading, but many things were unusual about Lily's son and so she didn't make any comment on this. Instead, she busied herself with baking a cake for her son's birthday party, trying not to think about his twin.

Putting the cake in the oven, Lily sat in the living room reading an old book she had borrowed from a colleague at the Ministry. She was deep working on translating the work which was in Ancient Runes to English when there was a knock on the door. Lily frowned as she looked at the clock. It couldn't be Sirius and Remus. They usually came after dinner. Her heart beating against her chest in worry, Lily left to open the door. She let out a shaky breath when she confronted Molly Weasley and her daughter, Ginny.

"Molly, what're you doing here?" she asked as she realized no-one knew their address, but Remus and Sirius. Not even Arthur knew where they lived since she had written Remus' address in her employment form. And she was sure Ginny who had accompanied them home from the Ministry on Harry's last birthday wouldn't know the address considering they had Apparated.

"Can we come in?" Molly asked.

"Oh, yeah. Come in." She ushered the mother and daughter in. "I'm sorry. I always forget my manners when it comes to Harry's safety. How did you find our address?"

"Remus," Molly explained briefly. "Ginny wanted to be with Harry since it's his birthday. I hope she's not interfering with your plans."

"No, no, not at all," Lily said, smiling at Ginny. "Harry would be happy to have his friend with him."

"Can I go see him, Ma'am?" Ginny asked Lily.

"Of course. Come, come. I'll come with you."

Lily led the girl to Harry's room. She peaked in to give Harry the news before she would let Ginny in.

"What are looking for, Harry?" she asked as Harry was turning over the leaves of one of Lily's thick books quickly.

"I'm looking for a name for my owl," Harry answered, not taking his eyes away from the laden pages.

"Someone has come to help you."

"Who?" Harry asked, looking up at his mother. Lily opened the door wide without an answer and let the girl inside.

"Ginny," Harry cried happily, letting go of the book and giving the girl a quick hug. "What are you doing here? You were supposed to go to Dave's birthday."

"You know how I feel about him. No offence," Ginny glanced at Lily apologetically, before going on, "but he's no fun to have around. He doesn't like my company. Thinks I'm a little kid who ruins their party."

"How could you convince your parents?" Harry asked, averting the conversation away from his twin brother before his mother started crying all over the floor.

"It was easy. I faked crying," Ginny relayed with a full-face grin.

Suppressing a laugh, Lily said, "You'd better thank Mrs. Weasley before she leaves, Harry," before she left the room to do what had just come to her mind. Entering her room, she grabbed the present she had bought her older son while at Diagon Alley and made her way to the living room to meet Molly.

"Will you do me a favor, Molly?" Lily asked, hesitating to give the present to the woman.

"Of course. What is it?"

"I need you to give this to Dave for me," she said, holding out the present. "It's his birthday present."

"What are you sending him presents for?" Harry shouted before Molly could say anything taking the present. Lily looked at her son who had just entered the living room, possibly to thank Mrs. Weasley for letting Ginny come to celebrate his birthday.

"Harry," Lily hissed. "It's not good to be jealous."

"I'm not jealous and you know that," Harry cried. "Why should I be jealous of the Boy-Who-Lived? I'm not saying not to buy him presents. Just don't send them when you know…"

"Stop it, Harry," Lily cut him off.

"Why? It's the truth," Harry said, not paying attention to the other occupants of the room. "I don't understand you at all. Just put that package with the others. You can put my owl with them too if you think I'm jealous."

"I don't want to hear another word," Lily reprimanded, standing up. "Go to your room. NOW." She pointed to the door of Harry's room.

"Don't worry. I'll go to my room and I won't come out no matter what." He made his way to his room with Ginny on his heels, not listening to a word she was saying.

"I'm sorry for his behavior," Lily apologized to Molly when Harry was back in his room with Ginny. "I don't know what's gotten into him. He never acts like that."

"Don't worry. I have six boys. He'll be like his old self soon."

Lily nodded, forcing a smile, and looked at the present in Molly's hands.

"Don't worry about it either," Molly said, holding the present up. "I'll give it to Dave."

After Molly left, Lily decided to take a nap and let the kids to themselves for the time being. She could hear Harry and Ginny arguing when she was passing Harry's door. She stopped to discover what they were arguing about. Her son was telling Ginny that he was serious about giving the owl to Dave and that he had no intention of naming her and Ginny said that if he didn't want to name her, she would. Lily was tempted to go and talk to Harry, but on the second thought, she decided that Harry would listen to Ginny more since she was almost the same age as he was. She went to her room and lay on the bed, not worried about the cake - the oven would turn itself off when the cake was ready.

When Lily woke up later, the cake was ready. She put a Warming Charm on it for when Remus and Sirius would show up and decided that it was time to see her son. She opened the door to Harry's room to find him playing chess with his only friend.

"Mom."

The one word leaving her son's mouth while he was looking up at her with a smile relieved her worries as she realized the boy was back to his true self.

"It's time for dinner," Lily informed him. "Get up and change. We're going out."

"Yes, mom," Harry said and proceeded to pack up his chess set.

"I'll do that. You change," Ginny said.

"I can't with you here, you know," Harry said, biting his lip, as Ginny blushed and left the room with his mother.

They spent the afternoon in an amusement park with Ginny pointing at the different playthings and making comments like 'let my father hear about this' and had some sandwiches there. It was nearly nine when they were back home since the kids were having too much fun to leave the park. Back at home, they found Remus and Sirius sitting in the living room waiting for them with a broomstick leaning on the side of the couch for Harry as his birthday present. The rest of the night was as it was supposed to be as they celebrated Harry's birthday.

With the full moon around the corner, Remus was not as cheery as he used to be and Sirius took him home around ten, leaving the other three. When his two uncles left, Harry dragged Ginny to his room to play Exploding Snaps and Lily decided to do some reading as she waited for Molly to come for her daughter. She was supposed to be there at 10 sharp, but it was a quarter after ten and she was yet to come. Lily picked her books and lay on the couch waiting for Molly.

It was almost ten thirty when Molly arrived with the present Lily had sent Dave. She put it on the coffee table with a sad smile. Lily thought James wouldn't reject the present if she asked Molly to deliver it, but it seemed that no-one could change the man's decision. She should have realized that when Remus had brought the present back the previous year.

"James said he would've accepted it if you had brought it personally," Molly explained.

"I know," Lily said lifelessly.

"Then why…?"

"Because," she interrupted since she knew what Molly wanted to ask. "He wants me to go there alone. After that he wants me to stay the night. And then he wants me to stay forever and forget Harry."

"Why did you break up?" Molly asked, frowning.

"Because of Harry. He doesn't like Harry around. He hates my Harry," she whispered the last part, not wanting Harry to hear her, even though he knew his dad hated him.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Molly asked as tears welled up in her eyes.

"It doesn't change anything, does it?"

"At least I wouldn't have acted like a prat, would I?"

Lily laughed bitterly before she hid her face behind her hands and some tears stroke down her cheeks. She didn't want Molly to see the tears and think of her as a weak woman. She needed to be strong for her Harry.

"Mom."

Lily dried the few tears with bare hands quickly and looked at her 10-year-old son who was looking at her in concern.

"Dad sent it back again," he whispered, glancing at the present on the coffee table and back at his mother. Lily nodded and opened her arms for her Harry to come to her. Harry threw his body into the open arms and circled his arms around her mother's neck.

"I'm sorry, mom," he whispered into his mother's ear. "If I wasn't born…"

"No," Lily cut him off as her hands pressed the warm body to hers. "Please don't say that, love. You're the only one I have left. I'll die without you."

It took almost five minutes for the mother and son to calm down. Molly and Ginny stayed with them for another quarter talking about different topics, trying to avert their minds to less painful thoughts.

"Did you name your owl?" Lily asked her son when their guests left.

"Ginny named her 'Hedwig'. What do you think?"

"Beautiful name," she said, ruffling the boy's hair.

"I'm sorry, love," she apologized a few seconds later. "I shouldn't have called you jealous. It was inconsiderate of me. I want you to know that I didn't really mean it."

"I know," Harry said, sending his mother a smile. "I'm sorry for what I said too. I shouldn't have yelled."

Lily kissed the boy on the forehead.

"Will you promise me something, love?"

"What?"

"Never call your brother the Boy-Who-Lived."

Harry nodded before kissing his mother goodnight and leaving for his room. Lily smiled as she thought back to the day they had. Everything was back to normal again. At least as normal as it could be.

A/N: That's the end of pre-Hogwarts chapters. I know it has no significance in itself, but it's needed for the story as a whole. Next chapter, Harry will receive his Hogwarts letter. I promise a preview to anyone who reviews. Thank you for reading. Wish me luck on the next chap.


	5. Hogwarts Letter

A/N: Thank you for your reviews. Before starting the fifth chapter which is the longest chapter I've done so far, I need to answer the anonymous reviews.

**adenoide** No, Lily and Harry won't leave the country. They have their few friends in Britain to turn to for help. Plus, it's no fun if there's no James or Severus in the story. I'm so evil.

**sai 0** As I just said, it wouldn't do without Hogwarts with James and Severus around.

There were these great reviews from dear **MissCHSparkles** that I PM'd, but I like anyone of you who is curious about Ron's behavior know that he's not evil. He's just a child. If you want to know in more details why Ron acts the way he does, ask in a review and I'll be glad to answer you in a private message.

Disclaimer: I, JKR? Fat chance…

Chapter 5: Hogwarts Letter

"Harry, you've got a letter," Lily called from the living room when the Hogwarts' owl flew in through the window. Even from distance, Lily could tell it was Harry's letter from Hogwarts, even though she didn't expect it until Harry's birthday. It was a week before Harry's 11th birthday and he was already looking forward to receiving his letter. He ran into the living room before his mother had a chance to unfasten the letter.

"It's my Hogwarts letter," he cried happily when he saw the owl. Harry was practically sending a letter to Ginny each day with Hedwig, even though he saw the girl at the Ministry every morning minus the weekends. As Hedwig was now with him and always delivered the letter directly to Harry, the boy knew what letter his mother meant.

Lily unfastened the letter and handed it to her son. She didn't want to make him wait more than he had and watched the boy as he opened and read the letter. She wanted to ask Harry to read it aloud, but the boy was too wrapped in reading the letter to notice her as he took the second parchment out of the envelope and read about the equipment he needed to buy.

"Mom, when will we go to Diagon Alley?" he asked, looking up from the letter for the first time.

"I think we can go tomorrow after work."

"Tomorrow? But it's too late. Can we go now?"

Lily laughed at her son who couldn't wait another day for his supplies. She ruffled the boy's messy hair and repeated, "Tomorrow after work. For now, we have to send word to Hogwarts. The poor owl needs to be paid as well."

The next day at work, Lily didn't see much of her son since Harry and Ginny were at the Auror Office the whole time. When it was time to leave, Lily made her way to the Auror Office to drag her son out. Approaching the office, she could hear Harry talk about his plans for future – he was determined to become an Auror.

"Harry," Lily called, catching her son's attention. "We need to go to Diagon Alley, unless you've changed your mind."

"I'm coming, mom."

"You'd better come too, Ginny. Your dad's waiting for you," Lily said and ushered the two kids out of the office as she heard Mad-Eye call after her son, "Constant vigilance, boy."

"Where should we go first?" Lily asked while in Diagon Ally, taking a look at the list of Harry's supplies for Hogwarts.

"My wand, first."

"Okay, love. Ollivanders, first."

Twenty minutes after they entered the wand shop, Lily thanked God that it was their first destination, given that no wand had still chosen the impatient boy. The shop was in ruins by the disasters Harry's wand wavings caused and Lily was worried that the next wand Harry waved would collapse the building altogether. Harry himself was hesitant every time he was offered a wand and he looked out of the shattered window now and then to make sure no-one was watching his failings at the simple task of wand waving. Feeling tired, Lily sat on a still upright chair nearby, though one of the chair legs was a bit loose, when she noticed her son was nowhere in sight.

"Harry," she called worriedly as she stood up, taking a look around the shop.

"What are you doing here, Mr. Potter?"

Lily looked at Mr. Ollivander who was talking to someone behind the counter, obviously her son, considering the choice of words.

"Come out, Harry. You gave me a scare."

Harry looked out of the window from behind the counter for a brief moment before he came out. He looked at his mother with concern clear in his eyes before he said, "Dad and Dave just passed the shop. I don't think they saw me." He let out a breath and stood by his mother's side who gave his shoulder a squeeze.

Mr. Ollivander's eyes narrowed at the words before he went behind the shop and came back with a new wand.

"Eleven inches, made of holly with a phoenix feather as its core," he said, giving the wand to Harry. "Pretty nice and subtle, it is. Give it a wave, boy."

As Harry waved the wand, everything that had happened earlier by his failings started to go back to normal. Every piece of wood attached itself to its proper place and glass shards built the windows again. Mr. Ollivander jumped back as it happened and Lily could tell it wasn't what he expected. Lily herself didn't expect that either. She had waited for something like what had happened to her when she had grabbed her wand for the first time – red and gold sparks firing out of the wand like fireworks. Mr. Ollivander took the wand and put it back in its box before he gave it to Lily, stuttering the price. He still looked shocked as Lily put seven Galleons on the repaired counter and left the shop with her son.

"Harry, you're going to spend time with your father and brother in a month," Lily said when they were out of the shop. Harry was looking around, worried that James and Dave would show up at any second. "What do you want to do then? Cowering behind your desk in fear of your DADA professor or hiding under your covers so that your roommate wouldn't see you?" she asked as she thought the boys would both be Gryffindors like their parents.

"I'll come to terms with it until then," Harry said, his eyes averting to sides. "Don't let them see me for now." He sent a quick glance to his mother before he took his wand out of its box and muttered, "Constant vigilance."

"Just don't wave it, Harry," Lily warned him since she didn't want to see what she had witnessed at Ollivanders shop, especially before all those people trespassing the busy street.

"Where should we go now?" she asked, hoping that it would distract Harry.

"Books," Harry whispered, obviously not wanting anyone to hear him. Lily nodded and ushered her son to Flourish and Blotts, but Harry refused to enter when they reached the bookstore.

"Harry, how are we supposed to buy your books if you won't go in?" Lily asked as she pushed her red fringes out of her face and rubbed at her forehead in irritation.

"I'll go in, but I have to make sure Dad and Dave are not in there. Will you do that for me?" he begged, his big eyes set on his mother.

"What should I do?"

"Look in through the window," Harry proposed and Lily, not having anything to say, consented and looked in through the window at the many customers who were looking for different books throughout the shop. She cursed as she found her older son and ex-husband in a corner picking books.

"Of all days to come to Diagon Alley, it should be today. Couldn't you at least come in the morning?" she whispered to herself, even though she didn't take her eyes off her son who was now laughing with his father.

"They're in there, aren't they?" Harry asked, though he could see the answer in his mother's longing eyes which were still fixed on a certain occupant of the shop whom he could guess. Lily nodded, turned to her younger son hesitantly and grabbed his wrist.

"So we'll go to Madam Malkin's to buy your robes."

Their trip to Madam Malkin's Robes for Every Occasion was smooth and undisturbed. They didn't come across any unexpected visitors, but they had to wait longer than expected since two girls in their early teens were in the shop, complaining about their robes and giving horrible ideas to the poor woman who was trying to please them. Madam Malkin turned to Harry when the two girls left, looking happier than when they had come in. The witch did her work quickly as Lily's little son stood quietly on the stool.

"Now, books," Lily said when they were finished.

"No, potion supplies."

"Why not books?" Lily asked, though she could guess the boy's answer. "Your father and brother are surely finished and out of the shop now."

"They may still be in the area," Harry said as he examined the street. "Let's go get my potion supplies before they decide to visit the Apothecary."

Harry tugged at his mother's sleeve and led the way to the Apothecary, his new wand clutched in his wand hand. When they reached the shop, they saw James and Dave walking towards them oblivious to their surroundings as they were talking together. Harry grabbed his mother by the sleeve and dragged her into the shop before his father and brother could see them. Entering the shop, Lily came face to face with a familiar face as Harry peaked out of the window.

"Lily," came the silky voice Lily had not heard for years.

"Severus," she greeted back, making eye contact with her old friend.

"Mom, they're coming this way. We have to hide," Harry yelled frantically and turned to the man behind the counter. "Do you have a back door, sir?" he asked, looking between the man and the front door.

"No, we don't, lad. That's the only one we've got," the man replied, pointing to the front door.

"Mom, let's hide behind the counter," Harry shouted as he grabbed his mother's hand. Lily broke her eye contact with Severus and turned her head to Harry.

"Let them find us, love. It doesn't matter," she said desperately, even though she knew her endeavors would lead to no success as Harry dragged her to the counter.

"Harry, we can't hide here. They'll find us anyway," Lily said, trying to ignore the looks Severus gave them.

"If you're looking for a hiding place, there's a stockroom over there," the shopkeeper said, motioning to a door at the left side of the shop.

"Oh, thank God. Come, Harry," Lily said, sighing in relief. She gave Severus one last look and led the frantic boy to the stockroom. She closed the door behind them and sat with her back leaned against the wall near the door.

"It was close," Harry sighed, sitting by his mother's side.

Lily leaned her head against the wall as she felt dizzy. The smell in the stockroom was stronger than the shop itself and Lily had to cast a Deodorant Charm to make breathing easier for the both of them. She sharpened her ears, trying to discern any voice. The shop seemed too quiet, while she thought James and Severus' confrontation would result in an uproar, unless her ex-husband had not intended to enter the Apothecary as Harry thought. But then she heard James order a supply of some basic potion ingredients for his son. Harry cringed and cuddled to his mother.

Lily put an arm around Harry's shoulders as she listened more carefully, hoping she could hear her older son's voice, but silence was again ruling. The shuffling sounds of someone looking for something had her realize the shopkeeper was picking the ingredients Dave needed. When the silence dragged on, she could guess what had happened as James entered the shop. A glare would have surely been exchanged between the two colleagues who could still not stand each other, as Sirius' words about the 'greasy git' implied, and Severus would have left the shop to down one or two vials of Calming draught.

The next voice she heard was the shopkeeper's who had obviously recognized the boy accompanying James as the boy who had destroyed You-Know-Who. The man thanked Dave for what he had done years ago again and again which made Harry make a non-commental sound as 'it's ridiculous to thank someone for what he doesn't remember'.

Lily rubbed at her forehead as she felt a headache forming. She sneered at the irony of life. Voldemort's demise had brought peace back to the Wizarding world and at the same time, had led Lily's peaceful life to ruins.

"Now's the time to go home," she heard James say.

"But you promised to buy me a Nimbus 2000. It's my birthday soon."

Lily's head turned to the door when she heard her older son's pleading voice. She took a deep breath as tears threatened to pour. She would not lose herself, she would stay with her Harry, she reminded herself as a tear trickled down her cheek.

"Mom," Harry whispered.

Lily dried the tear before looking at her son.

"You can go and see him if you'd like. I'll stay here."

Lily shook her head and smiled at her son. She hugged the boy and sniffed his messy hair. It calmed her down instantly as she remembered her other son's scent. It was all she needed to realize what a gift she was given – Harry.

"Do you want a Nimbus 2000?" Lily asked Harry when they parted. She had saved more than enough money for when Harry was supposed to attend school and she was willing to make her son happy.

"First years aren't allowed to have their own broomsticks, remember?" Harry said with a smile. "Besides, mine is fine."

Lily helped the boy up when the door to the stockroom creaked open to reveal the shopkeeper's tall figure.

"The shop's empty," he said, standing aside to let them out. Lily thanked him and ordered the basic ingredients her son would need come school as they stood behind the counter.

"You were hiding from the Boy-Who-Lived, weren't you?" the man asked in a friendly manner as he was packing the ordered ingredients.

"Yes, the Boy-Who-Lived," Harry drawled scornfully.

"Harry," Lily chastised him. "What have I told you about Dave?"

"Sorry, mom," Harry mumbled.

"What do you have against him, lad?" the shopkeeper asked, putting some ingredients on the counter. Harry didn't say anything as he tapped his wand on the edge of the counter.

"Harry, put that wand down, for God's sake, before you blow up the shop."

Harry obeyed quietly as he thought about the question the man had asked him earlier. Why had he said 'yes' to the man's first question? It wasn't his brother he was trying to hide from, but his father. He felt sad every time he saw his mother cry for his brother, but he never blamed Dave for it. He didn't even blame his father as he knew it was all his fault, but he was still scared of the man.

"I wasn't hiding from Dave, right? I was hiding from dad," he said, looking his mother in the eyes. He didn't know why, but he needed his mother to confirm his thoughts. Lily nodded with a smile and ruffled the boy's hair.

"I'm not jealous," Harry whispered to himself and let out a breath.

Hearing her son, Lily chuckled. So that was the reason behind the childish question. Harry didn't like being jealous, especially after the argument he had had with his mother on his last birthday.

"I don't have anything against Dave," Harry said aloud. "I was hiding from dad- I mean his dad. We don't get along, you know."

The shopkeeper gave him a meaningful look which Harry didn't like. It was like he had heard his slip and had figured out Harry's secret, though he didn't say anything. Harry was grateful when the man handed the ingredients to his mother. He took Lily's hand and practically ran out of the shop after she put some Galleons on the counter. The rest of their trip to Diagon Alley was as peaceful as possible given that they didn't have to worry about confronting James.

During the week before Harry's birthday, Harry spent most of his time in his room reading his textbooks, so much so that Lily had to drag him out of the room for every meal. He was so obsessed with reading that he didn't even go to the Ministry with his mother and preferred to stay with Remus, either in their house or Remus', and study. Harry still wrote Ginny her daily letters, but as Lily found out after the third day, the only things he wrote about were the things he had learnt from the textbooks. He never let go of his wand as well, even when he was eating or using the bathroom, as if the wand was glued to his hand.

Although Lily was impressed with the magic Harry was capable of, she didn't want her son to spend all his time reading. It was the night before his birthday now and the boy was still in his room. Lily could hear Harry's voice occasionally rehearsing the spells he read about. She was lying in the darkness of her room wondering when her son decided to go to bed when the boy entered the room with a lightened wand. He didn't even bother himself with turning the light on and made a beeline to his mother, a book in his left hand and his lightened wand in his right. Lily sat up as she waited for the expected question.

"Mom, I can't pronounce this incantation correctly," Harry said, pointing his wand to a word in the book.

"Turn the light on," Lily said as she grabbed the book from his hand. Harry obeyed and then sat on the bed next to his mother. When the light was on, Lily looked at the title of the book in her hand, The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1).

"Now, ask your question," she said, opening the page Harry had shown her.

Harry pointed his wand at the incantation he had problems with for his mother to see.

"Nox that light," Lily said. Harry Noxed the light and then pointed at the word with the wand again.

"Point with your finger," Lily ordered and was obeyed instantly. Harry was _very_ obedient when he needed help. He pointed at the incantation with his left hand.

"Use your right hand," Lily ordered again. Harry gave the wand to his other hand and did what his mother asked him.

"You're trying to do the Hover Charm. It's Wingardium Leviosa."

Harry repeated the two words after his mother.

"Perfect," Lily complemented. "Now, what were you trying to hover?" she asked curiously.

"My bed," Harry answered simply and gave the wand to his wand hand again.

"Your bed?" Lily said, her eyes widening in shock. "It's difficult to hover a big heavy object, not to mention for your first try. It would drain you of your magic. You should try it on a feather. That's what we did at school."

"But a feather is too light. I can hover it without my wand," Harry said coolly as he jumped down the bed. He ignored his mother's glare and pointed his wand to the bed. "Wingardium Leviosa."

Lily almost fell down, from both the shock and the sudden movement, when the bed parted the floor.

"Put me down, Harry," she yelled when she overcame her shock. The bed compacted with the floor suddenly when Harry severed the connection and one of its legs broke.

"Don't worry, mom," Harry said when his mother put a hand on her chest. "I've learned how to repair things. Reparo," he murmured, pointing the holly wand at the broken leg of his mother's bed. It repaired itself instantly, sending the mother into another shock. Lily came out of her shock as the boy tried to get the Charms' book out of her hands.

"Harry, I need to talk to you," she said, taking the book away. "Now," she added in a threatening tone of voice before Harry could oppose her and motioned to an armchair on the opposite side of the room. Using the Hover charm again, Harry levitated the armchair to the middle of the room next to his mother's bed. Half- shocked, half- angry, Lily resisted yelling at her son. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves down as the boy sat in the armchair.

"I hope you haven't forgotten, but in case you have, it's your birthday tomorrow." By the way Harry's eyes widened, she could tell the soon-to-be-first-year had forgotten all about his birthday.

"What do you want to do for your birthday?" she asked.

"I don't know. I have to finish my Charms' boo…"

"No," Lily shouted, cutting her son off. "You're not going to read on your birthday. We're going out tomorrow with Ginny just like we have done in the last two years."

"But…"

"Hogwarts's going to be fun, Harry. It's not all about studying and waving wands. You're going to fly. You're going to make friends. You're going to have detention for pranking your friends," she whispered the word 'pranking' as if she would get detention if she were heard. Harry's face stayed neutral as she listed the fun he could have at Hogwarts.

"What are you doing this to yourself for, love?" she asked, hoping against hope that her son would give her a real answer, not another lie about how he didn't want to be behind in class or how he didn't want to be humiliated for his mistakes.

"I want to be great," the boy whispered, averting his green eyes to his lap. "So dad would love me."

"But you're great to me and I love you."

Harry didn't say anything. He let his eyes stay on his lap as he was tapping the edge of the armchair with the tip of his wand.

"Please look at me when I'm talking to you, Harry."

Harry looked up hesitantly, but fixed his eyes on his mother's mouth rather than her eyes.

"What's your plan for tomorrow?" she asked after a few seconds. Harry shrugged dismissively. "Don't shrug. I want an answer and I'll get it even if I have to stay up all night." The boy scowled as if looking for an answer.

"Can we go to the zoo?" he asked at last.

"Ginny's with us," Lily reminded him with a smile. He knew why her son had picked the zoo of all places. They had gone to the zoo a few months back to discover a shocking truth – that Harry was a parselmouth and could talk to snakes. Although Lily wanted to know whether her other son had the same ability, she had decided to keep it to herself since she didn't want any more harm to come to her younger son. That wasn't for anyone to know. Not even Sirius and Remus.

"She'd like it there," Harry said with a grin, looking into his mother's eyes at last.

"I'm sure she will and I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. Either we go to the zoo and skip the reptiles, or we choose some other place. Which one is it?"

"What's wrong with talking to snakes?"

"We've had that conversation before, Harry. Nothing's wrong if you ask me, but not everyone thinks so. They'll label you as dark for it," she added the last part against her will, but she needed Harry to understand.

"Okay, we'll decide tomorrow."

"Until tomorrow," Lily consented. "For now, you'll go to your room and send Ginny an owl to invite her up. You're not to write anything relevant to books and studying, understood?"

Harry nodded hesitantly.

"After that," Lily went on. "You'll go straight to bed."

"But I can't," Harry said frantically, his big eyes widening to twice their original size.

"Why can't you?" Lily wondered. "Your brain needs some rest and it's going to get it. You know the rules. The only night you can stay up more than usual is on your birthday which is tomorrow not today. You've broken enough rules for the last week."

"Fine," Harry mumbled as his face features contorted together. He got up hesitantly and his hand clenched around his wand.

"You're hiding something from me, Harry. What's wrong?" Lily asked as Harry frowned deeply.

"Nothing's wrong," he mumbled.

"Come sit here, love." Lily put her left hand on the bed near where she had sat and tapped lamely. She put an arm around Harry's shoulders when he sat down.

"Harry, I can't help you if you hide things from me. What is it?" she asked, but Harry still remained silent. "Do you have any nightmares?" she prompted.

"It's stupid, isn't it?"

"Not at all," Lily whispered. She cursed herself for overlooking such an important fact. The thought of spending ten months in a school with his father without the presence of his mother would have been traumatizing for her son to say the least. "Why didn't you tell me?" she asked.

"I didn't want to bother you," the boy whispered, leaning into the warm embrace of his mother. Lily kissed Harry's head as her left hand was massaging the boy's left upper arm.

"Don't worry, love. Your dad can't hurt you at school. He's a professor there and he'll get expelled if he lays a finger on a student. Look what you've done to my armchair," she exclaimed suddenly, noticing a hole on the edge of the armchair where Harry was tapping with his wand earlier. Harry nearly jumped at his mother's outburst.

"What?" he asked, a little shocked.

"You've bored a hole into my perfect armchair," Lily groaned, not really caring about the armchair, but the fact that if Harry's mild anger could cause such a hole without uttering an incantation what his true anger could do to himself and his surroundings.

"May I see your wand?" Lily asked her son. "I want to take a look at it. It seems your wand multiplies the magic tenfold," she added when Harry frowned. The boy hesitantly offered his holly wand to his mother. Lily grabbed it out of his hand and took a look at it as if she was examining its power.

"It stays with me for now. I have to check it," she lied and put the wand in her pocket. It was dangerous for the boy to ignore his daily needs and spend all his time learning magic and Lily hoped that the lack of a wand would decrease her son's obsession with studying as he needed his wand to cast the spells he read about.

"But that's mine," Harry opposed which was overlooked by the witch. "How am I supposed to do magic without it?"

"You don't need to do magic for now. You'd better go to your room and send the letter. Don't forget what I told you about it. Nothing about books and studying. Nothing at all."

The boy's face fell and he groaned, realizing that his mother wasn't going to give him his wand back, no matter how much he tried.

"I'm going to read the letter before you send it. Write a single word about _magic_ and I'll take your books away until it's time to get on the train," Lily threatened. "When done, you're going to change into your pajamas and sleep. In _my_ bed," she added at the frightful look on her son's face. She had much to accomplish before Harry would depart for school. That much was clear. She only wished she could alleviate the boy's fears before she sent him away to Hogwarts.

A/N: It's my birthday tomorrow and I'm going on a vacation. I won't be back for a week, so don't wait for the next chapter. For those of you who love Hermione, Harry and Hermione will meet in the next chap. Don't forget to review. They're the best birthday presents I can get.

By the way, I wrote a drabble a few days ago. Try it out and let me know what you think. It doesn't take more than two minutes.


	6. On the Way to Hogwarts

A/N: Thank you all for reviewing and for wishing me a happy birthday. Before starting with the new chapter, I need to clear up some confusions. It's true that you can't do magic outside school, but the rule applies after you've attended Hogwarts, hence explaining Hermione's statement, 'I've tried a few simple spells just for practice and it's all worked for me' in HPSS. Correct me if I'm wrong. The second thing I need to say is that Lily doesn't have anything against Harry reading and she even helps him with his studies, but she doesn't want her son to forget his daily needs. You're not supposed to eat dinner with your wand instead of a spoon, you know. Enough of my rambling. Now on with the story…

Disclaimer: The last time I checked I wasn't J.K. Rowling, so it's not mine.

This chapter is dedicated to anyone who has reviewed so far. Your reviews are the reason I'm continuing this fic. Thank you all for your support.

Chapter 6: On the Way to Hogwarts

"Have you packed, love?" Lily asked as Harry entered the living room. The Hogwarts Express was to depart the following day at 11 sharp. Harry stood there before his mother, contemplating whether he could say what he needed for the one thousandth time or not.

"Almost," he said at last. "I just need my wand."

Since the day Lily had taken Harry's wand to check it, Harry had asked about it almost every day and the mother had always given the same answer that it was still under close inspection. But now that Harry was packing for Hogwarts, she couldn't give the old answer.

"You can have it tomorrow just before the train leaves the platform," Lily informed him at last, holding back a laugh at the expression on the boy's face.

"Why not now? Haven't you checked it yet?"

"Yes, I have," she answered. "I was right. It multiplies your magic and I don't want the whole building blown up."

She apologized to her son inwardly for the lie, but she wasn't willing to give him the wand back for now, even though she knew he would discover the truth soon. For now, she wanted to have a day with her son and it wouldn't do if Harry had his wand, considering that he would go back to the magic-obsessed Harry and decide to try all the spells he had read about on his last day before starting Hogwarts.

Harry knew better to contradict his mother, especially after the month he had under her strict rules. He was to accompany his mother to the Ministry every morning without a single book and spend time with Ginny having fun and not talking about anything related to school or with Sirius and the other Aurors in the Auror Office. When they came back home, he could study until dinner, but after that, he had to spend some time with his mother during which he could ask her his questions until it was time to sleep which was at the best of times around 10. Lily was also decisive to share her bed with her son since she didn't want another episode of nightmares on the boy's part, though it made it harder for the mother to think of when her son was going to leave for school.

"It's our last day together before you leave. What do you say we go out?" Lily asked. The look that soon formed on Harry's face was an indication that the realization had just hit her son full force in the face. That he was supposed to leave his mother behind for months on end. He gulped as his fearful big eyes fixed on nowhere.

"I've changed my mind. I don't want to go to Hogwarts," he whispered, his tearful eyes boring into his mother's. "I want to stay with you."

"We'll see each other on Christmas," Lily said as she kicked herself for her previous sentence. After all these years, she should have been more careful about the way she formed her sentences. "You're going to spend time with your peers, love. It'll be fun, I assure you. You may even forget about me in a month."

"I'll never forget you," Harry said with a glare as if insulted.

"It's good to know. Thanks. Now, go change. We're going to have a whole lot of fun today," Lily said before Harry's glare would turn into a depressed expression.

Soon it was time for Harry to go to Hogwarts. He was up before Lily on Sunday and had checked his belongings a hundred times when his mother woke up. After they had their breakfast, Lily started giving a long lecture about how Harry should be careful at school, how he should behave, how he should be more careful, how he should deal with his problems, and more importantly how he should be careful. By the end of the lecture, Harry was laughing so hard that Lily was tempted to start her lecture all over again, hoping that her son would be relieved of the fear and tension that had haunted his dreams for the last month, even if for a few minutes.

Lily had just reached the part of her lecture about being extremely careful when Remus and Sirius came to bid Harry goodbye. Although James had finally found out about Remus' visits with Lily and Harry, he didn't know that Sirius came to see his godson as well, and so the Animagus had decided to come to their flat to say goodbye since he had to keep face in front of his friend who was accompanying his son to King's Cross – a decision they had made at the last minute given that Dave liked to experience the trip to Hogwarts by train like his peers.

Sirius and Remus couldn't stay with them for long since they had promised to be with James and Dave before ten and accompany them to King's Cross. When they left, after checking Harry's luggage to make sure nothing was amiss, Lily and Harry made their way out of the building, took a taxi as planned and drove to the station. They reached their destination a few minutes before they were supposed to which ended Lily's worry as the driver kept glancing at the snowy owl in the cage.

"That's it," Lily said when they reached the platform 9 and 3/4. "Do you want to go first, love?" she asked her son who was looking at the solid wall through which a young girl and her parents had just passed. He was a bit shocked considering his mother had never told him how they were supposed to be on the platform which left to Hogwarts. He touched the wall to see whether it was flexible or not. Lily smiled at him and waited patiently. After a few seconds, Harry gulped and stepped back to his mother.

"Can we go together?"

"Of course. Come on, love. Take my left hand and don't worry about the trolley. I'll get a hold of it. You just run, okay?"

Harry nodded as he grabbed his mother's hand and made the run. Worried he would be stuck without his mother, he ran so fast that he knocked into an old woman on the other side of the wall, throwing her big red handbag to the floor. He picked the handbag up, cleaned it and gave it back to the old woman.

"I'm sorry, Ma'am," he apologized as his eyes fell on the woman's funny hat – a tall hat with a stuffed vulture on top.

"Not to worry, son. I've had enough of accidents with my grandson here and I'm still up and about. Lily, is that you?" the old woman said when she noticed Harry's mother.

"Mrs. Longbottom," Lily greeted back.

"Long time no see. Where have you been, girl?" Mrs. Longbottom asked, but she didn't wait for Lily to answer and went on, "I couldn't believe it when I read about your break-up with James in the Prophet."

Lily frowned deeply. She didn't know the Prophet had covered their break-up. She tried not to show it and focused on the fat boy with a toad in hand who was standing beside Mrs. Longbottom.

"Is that Neville?" she asked, changing the subject. "He was just a baby last I saw him."

Harry looked as Mrs. Longbottom pushed the boy – Neville – in front of herself to greet Harry's mother, but then he turned his head to sides to see whether he could find Ginny in the busy station as Neville stuttered an answer.

"This is my son, Harry," Lily said, putting both hands on Harry's shoulders from behind and bringing his attention back to the grandmother and grandson.

"Nice to meet you, Ma'am," Harry said before he stuck his hand to Neville and introduced himself as his mother began a conversation with the old woman.

"Blimey, you're a Potter," Neville said in awe. "You've got to know the Boy-Who-Lived."

Harry rolled his eyes and didn't answer. Although the boy had seemed nice at first glance, the question changed Harry's mind altogether.

"Sorry, I'm looking for someone," he said, occupying himself with finding Ginny as Neville gave a shout and ran after the toad that had left his hand. Ginny was nowhere in sight and so Harry turned back to his mother who was done with her conversation.

"Mom, can I have my wand now?" he whispered so that no-one could hear him but his mother.

"There's still some minutes left until the train leaves."

Harry groaned loudly and leaned against the nearby wall, hiding in the shadows in case his father was around. He looked at his mother sadly since he was supposed to leave her in a few minutes before his eyes turned to his feet. He didn't notice when his mother knelt before him.

"Harry," Lily called. "Don't you want to go say goodbye to Ginny?"

"Where's she?" he asked looking around.

"Over there. Standing with her parents and brothers."

Harry looked at the place his mother was pointing at. Sure enough Ginny was standing with her parents and brothers. Fred and George were listening to their parents – particularly their mother – and Harry could tell what they were talking about. The twins were surely being warned to behave as it was the case every time Harry saw them with their mother. Ginny, on the other hand, was looking around, obviously looking for Harry. Harry was about to run to her when he noticed his father and brother standing with them. While his father was talking with his two uncles, Dave was in a deep conversation with Ron.

"She's looking for you," Lily said, referring to Ginny. "The train will leave the station in five minutes. Hurry up or you won't see her until Christmas at least."

"But Dad…" he trailed off.

"You'll face him at school in a few hours," Lily said as she grabbed her son's upper arm and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "It's better if you first meet him while I'm with you."

Harry gave a curt nod.

"Will you, at least, give me my wand? They may laugh at me."

Lily gave the boy his wand with a smile.

"Try to act normal, love. Go and hug Ginny as you always do and then greet the others, even your Dad."

Harry nodded again, though it was easier said than done. He made his way to where the crowd was standing with his mother at his heel pushing the trolley. Hedwig was hooting in excitement and Harry wished he could be as excited as the owl when he reached his deathbed also known as 'Dad'.

"Harry," Ginny exclaimed as she spotted Harry approaching and wrapped him in a tight hug. It was good as Harry didn't think he could do what his mother had asked of him.

"You got your wand back at last," she whispered into his ear, noticing the holly wand in his hand. Besides Remus and Sirius, she was the only one who knew about the confiscation of Harry's wand by his mother and had promised Harry to keep it to herself.

Harry greeted everyone as his mother had asked him when they parted. The reactions he received were very different. Remus, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley greeted back kindly. Fred and Gorge shook his hand and promised to reserve some pranks for his enemies at school. Sirius winked at him since he didn't want to act normal, or better say abnormal, in front of James. Percy, Ginny's third brother, was too caught up with polishing his prefect badge, as he'd done throughout the summer according to Ginny's words, to pay him any attention. Ron greeted him lazily, while Dave sent him a glare. Worst of all was James who looked at him furiously as he pulled Dave to his side as if to protect him from Harry. His hand clenching the wand tightly, Harry looked to the floor uneasily, but his mother's hand stopping on his shoulder and squeezing it gently eased the tension in his aching heart.

Soon it was time to board the train. The students were dragging their trunks into the train one by one, bidding their parents and young siblings goodbye and leaving for their adventure at Hogwarts.

Harry who had been excited to go to Hogwarts for years was now dreading the situation. His mother was again lecturing him about being careful, but he could barely hear her as his brain was occupied with undesirable thoughts. He kicked himself for his weakness to leave his mother and tried to act like every other student.

"Write me if you needed anything, love," Lily said and hugged her son again.

"I'll miss you, mom," Harry whispered, hugging her back.

"You'll see me soon. You'll be back home for Christmas," Lily whispered back as she kissed her son one last time.

Harry then hugged Ginny and promised to write her before he got a hold of his trunk and dragged it to the train. Although he was tempted to draw his wand and use the Hover charm, he didn't want his mother to get angry at him for using magic. He gave his mother a meaningful look as if to say 'don't think of helping me in front of all these children', but he didn't oppose when Ginny's twin brothers helped him pick the trunk up into the train. He took a last look back at his mother who had tears in her eyes as if her son was going to his death, waved his mother and friend goodbye and disappeared into the train.

Thanking Fred and George, Harry dragged his trunk to the last compartment which was empty and settled in, trying to not think about the last look his mother had given him. He sent Hedwig out through the window, took out his Defense book, blocked out every sound, and began reading.

Hours later, he was lying on the seat, still reading the book and practicing the wand movements when the compartment door slid open. He pointed his wand at a girl with brown bushy hair standing in the doorway, ready to defend himself in case he was attacked.

"What?" he asked, not bringing his wand down, when the girl stared at him in shock.

"H-have you seen a toad?" she stuttered. "A boy named Neville has lost his," she added in more composure when Harry brought his wand hand down.

"Why don't you try to summon it?" Harry suggested. Although he had not found anything in his textbooks on the subject, he had seen his mother summon things enough times to know about it long before he had purchased his wand.

"We've been looking for it for hours. We even had a prefect do that for us, but nothing happened," the girl explained. Harry frowned, trying to come up with an answer to the inability of the prefect to summon Neville's toad.

"Perhaps the blasted toad is out of the train," he guessed, not caring about the scowl that formed on the girl's face when he said 'the blasted toad' with such force. "Or the prefect was inaptitude to summon it."

The bushy-haired girl made her way in at Harry's answer without being invited and Harry was tempted to throw this fact at her face as she sat on the opposite seat. Harry let out a disturbed breath and sat as well as he thought about his mother – she would have punished him if she saw her son as impolite as to lie in front of a fellow student and a girl in that.

"If you think it that simple, why don't you try it?" the girl asked in an accusative tone of voice and Harry was not sure what he was being accused of given that he had done nothing but made a suggestion out of the kindness of his heart.

"I may have summoned it if I liked Neville," he said with a shrug and returned to the book in his hand.

"You seem too full of yourself," the girl said despite Harry's efforts to ignore her so that she would leave him to his studying. "Have you done magic at all?"

"What's Neville's toad called?" Harry asked suddenly, feeling insulted at both the comment and the question.

"Trevor, I think."

Harry put his book aside and clutched his wand in anger.

"You may sit in a corner," he suggested, trying to control his anger before the compartment or worse the whole train would blow up. "I don't want something bad to happen to you," he added as the girl snorted.

"What do you think would happen?" she asked in a mocking tone of voice.

"I don't like to know. My wand's special," Harry said what he believed to be the case according to his mother's continuous comments about the disaster his wand could create if he weren't in control of his emotions. "My mom says it multiplies the magic," he added in a low voice, not wanting anyone to hear him but his pertinacious companion.

"What? Multiplies the magic?" she asked skeptically. "I'm a Muggle-born and don't know much about wands, but when I went to Ollivanders to get my wand, he said it would only channel your magic. Are you sure your mother wasn't pulling your leg?"

"Well, you're a Muggle-born and don't know much about wands, just like you said," Harry spat at the intruding girl as he clutched his wand harder than he had done before and pushed it into the fabric of the seat.

"You're a pure-blood maniac, aren't you?" she asked scornfully. "I just met this blonde boy who had the same ideas. Thought he was better than everyone else. I think we'll find out about it at school, don't we? I'm not that ignorant about magic. I've tried some of the spells in our books and they all have worked for me."

Harry gritted his teeth as the young witch bragged about her ability to do magic. If she thought Harry was full of himself, what would she say about herself? But the part of her speech that hurt him the most was the accusation she had made that Harry was a 'pure-blood maniac'.

"My mom is a Muggle-born as well and she's the best witch I've ever seen," he said before he frowned at his naivety when he remembered what the girl had said earlier about his mother. He felt hurt as he realized that his mother may have really lied to him. Shaking his head to get rid of the undesirable thoughts, he brought his wand up, revealing the hole it had made in the seat fabric, and muttered the Summoning spell for the first time in his life.

"Accio Trevor."

Nothing happened.

The girl smirked as Harry frowned. What had his mother done to his precious wand? It wasn't like that before, he thought. He bit his lower lip as the annoying girl opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, a toad flew into the compartment through the slightly open window and sat right onto Harry's hand. The girl's eyes widened while her mouth closed and she gulped.

"Here," Harry held out the toad. "Give it to Neville."

The girl accepted the toad and nodded as she stood up, still in shock. At the doorway, she stopped and looked back.

"By the way, I'm Hermione Granger. And you?"

"Harry. Harry Nothing," he lied since he didn't want to hear another comment about the Boy-Who-Lived. The girl frowned for a moment, but didn't comment on the absurdity of his last name.

"The train stops soon. I suggest you change into your school robes," she said after a few seconds and stepped out of the compartment, sliding the door closed as Harry got up to change.

A/N: Well, that's it. The next few chapters will probably be a bit angsty. Don't forget to review, please. Let me know which House you think Harry will be Sorted into. I'd like to know which House you favor the most.


	7. Defense and Potions

A/N: I'm sorry for the long wait. I don't know what's gotten into me. Since my birthday, I've gone back in time... watching Tsubasa Ozora, playing The Sims 3, among other things. That aside, thank you for your reviews. I don't think I can please you all at the same time, but I'll do my best. There's a long list of characters, some of which you like and some you don't. I for one like all of them. There's NO Dumbledore Bashing, Ron Bashing, Hermione Bashing, Snape Bashing or even James Bashing. Believe me.

Anyways, I know Harry is kind of antisocial, but you can't expect him to trust at first glance, not with the childhood he's had. And now that he's away from his mother for the first time in years, he kind of feels distressed and isolated. Bear him for a few chapters. I promise he'll change.

To** S-Wanderer999**: Lily has retaken her maiden name, but the reason for Harry still being a Potter will be revealed later on. The same goes for what Lily got from James after the divorce. I'll write about the Potter heir as well when the time comes.

Disclaimer: I own nothing, but my PC.

To **The Wandmaker **for giving me my 100th review ever and to** SFBKludge** for giving me my 100th review on Lily's Son.

Chapter 7: Defense and Potions

"SLYTHERIN," the Sorting Hat shouted and Harry would have fallen off the stool if he hadn't grabbed the sides of it.

Although he didn't really like being in Gryffindor, he wasn't prepared for Slytherin as well. His brother had just been Sorted into Gryffindor when McGonagall called his name and Harry wasn't sure he would be accepted in the same House which had cheered for his famous brother earlier. He looked around the hall as it seemed scarily quiet. Not a single Slytherin was clapping for their new housemate.

Harry gulped as McGonagall took the Hat off his head. Not trusting his legs to support his weight, he got up slowly, turned his head slightly and looked at the staff. All the eyes were fixed on him. The headmaster had a frown on as well as another man with greasy shoulder-length black hair who seemed annoyingly familiar, though Harry couldn't place his face. He ignored them since he wasn't looking for their reaction and looked at his father. The elder Potter was the only one who wasn't looking at Harry. His eyes were on the table while his left hand was rubbing at his forehead.

Taking a deep breath, Harry slowly made his way to the Slytherin table and settled in.

"Congrats," the first-year sitting on Harry's right side (Harry believed his name to be Theodore Nott) said loosely while Pansy Parkinson, another first-year who was sitting in front of Harry, looked at him as though she were looking at a piece of dirt. Although Nott didn't sound enthusiastic, he wasn't sarcastic either. Harry gave a dismissive nod and turned his attention back to the Sorting.

After Blaise Zabini was Sorted into Slytherin and sat on Harry's left side, Dumbledore recited a few of the school rules which Harry took no heed of. His thoughts were with his mother and what she would say when she found out about Harry's House.

Throughout the feast, Harry spent most of his time playing with his food than eating. Although he hadn't touched the sandwich his mother had given him on the Hogwarts Express, he couldn't down any food. Luckily, no one paid him any attention as the older students were trying to catch up with their friends and the new ones were in awe of the ghosts.

So lost in his own thoughts, Harry jumped when a hand touched his shoulder. He looked up to come face to face with a tall boy with black curly hair.

"Easy, mate," the tall boy said with a smile. "I'm Christopher Landon, Slytherin's new prefect. Gemma and I were about to show the first years the Slytherin's dormitory. Care to accompany us?" he asked, motioning his head to a group of first years standing next to a blonde girl whom Harry guessed might be Gemma. Harry took a look around the hall that was being evacuated of the students far too quickly and back at the prefect before giving a curt nod.

"You know, it's not so bad to be in Slytherin," Landon said, before ushering Harry to the other first years and down to the chilly dungeons. The way to the Slytherin Dungeon was like a labyrinth with its narrow passages which were a little too dark despite the long torches sticking out of the walls in regular intervals.

The group heading to the dungeons consisted of nine first years (six boys and three girls), the prefect boy and the blonde whom Landon had introduced as Gemma and by the badge on her chest, Harry could tell, was a prefect as well. Harry tried to amuse himself with the walls which had strange carvings on them and a few moving pictures of funny looking people of the old generations, as the other first years were chattering enthusiastically among themselves all the way down.

The way was so long that the amusing carvings and pictures lost their spell halfway through the dungeons and the cold seemed to become more and more troublesome, making Harry rub at his arms constantly in an attempt to get warm. Busy with the hard task, he jumped out of his skin when he heard a whisper behind his back. He drew his wand out and pointed it at the attacker to realize it was the prefect boy, Landon, who was standing behind the first years as the prefect girl led the way. Landon put his hands up in a surrendering way, his left flat and his right clenched around his wand, and explained, "Just a Warming Charm."

Harry nodded his thanks as he felt the effects of the spell and put his wand back in his pocket, but he didn't release it. Ready to take his holy wand out if there was any attack, Harry turned back and followed the other first-years who were now a few meters away from them, completely oblivious of the two left behind.

At the end of the passage, they turned right into another narrow one, wide enough for two persons to walk through shoulder by shoulder. There were no carvings or pictures in the corridor. It was darker that the rest as well, as the walls held only two green torches which were more decorating it than lightening the way. There was a damp stone wall at the end of it which held no trace of activity.

"The password's 'pure-blood'," Gemma called out as she turned to the wall. Harry's face contorted at the word, but it was soon forgotten as a concealed stone door slid open to his astonishment to reveal the Slytherin Common Room at the end of a very short passage.

Harry got his first real glimpse of the Common Room as he stepped in after the others, but they didn't linger there long enough for Harry to examine all the details, even though it was enough to realize it wasn't any better than the foul passages outside as the green furniture and torches made the room a little too green to stand. That and two boys sitting in two dark green chairs near the fireplace sending hostile looks his way were more than enough for him to realize he didn't want to stay there longer than the few seconds they lingered before the girls departed to their own dormitory.

The boys' dormitory was to the left down a few stairs and Harry was sure he would have frozen on the spot if it weren't for the Warming Charm Landon had cast on him earlier, since he could still feel the cold despite the charm. Down the stairs, they entered another passage full of rooms on both sides and walked to the end of the passage to the last room on the left.

Harry stood in the doorway, examining the room, as the other first-years rushed to their trunks standing alongside the nearest wall and dragged each to their chosen bed. It was a huge room with six four-poster beds (three on the right and three on the left) with green hangings which were drawn aside. Luckily, it wasn't all too green like the Common Room, given that the walls had a silvery shade and the light was much brighter, but it too had a low ceiling which made the room suffocating.

There was a window on the farthest wall which showed a beautiful view of the lake; at first, it seemed strange to Harry, since they were obviously in the dungeons, but soon he remembered the Great Hall's enchanted ceiling and realized the window should be the same. When everyone had selected their own bed, Harry was left with the nearest bed to the door. He reluctantly dragged his trunk to the bed and, leaning it by the side, he sat on the bed with his back to the enchanted window, facing the prefect still standing in the doorway, just before the said prefect exclaimed that he would expect them in the Common Room in ten minutes to go over the rules and left.

Inconspicuous of the chattering behind him, Harry tried to think of what he was supposed to write his mother about the new turn of events. He was worried his mother would be disappointed in him after discovering her son was a Slytherin and it was the last thing he wanted. He could start his letter with good things, he thought, but he couldn't remember something good about the hours he had spent on the way to Hogwarts and in Hogwarts itself.

Harry's time aboard Hogwarts' Express was uneventful except for the short conversation he had with the bushy-haired girl, Hermione Granger, who was Sorted into Gryffindor earlier alongside his brother, Ron and Longbottom, and that wasn't exactly the best of conversations. After getting off the train, he met Rubeus Hagrid, the half-giant, of whom his mother had talked a lot when talking about Hogwarts, though for reasons unknown to Harry, he was instructed by his mother to not spend any time with the half-giant outside the castle walls. Soon, they were supposed to get into groups of three and fill the boats to sail to Hogwarts. Harry had shared a boat with Neville Longbottom and Hermione Granger of all people of whom the former was clutching his poor toad in-between his beefy hands and the latter was trying to define the term 'chatterbox' to the best of her abilities. None of them addressed him once, not even Longbottom spared him a thank-you for his found toad, and so Harry tried to ignore them just like they did him.

His time before the Sorting was much the same, but he didn't care. He just stood aside and listened to the conversations about how the Sorting was going to take place. There was a little argument between his brother and a blond boy named Draco Malfoy who was now Harry's housemate, but Harry tried to stay out of it as it had nothing to do with him. Upon remembering his roommate, Harry recalled what Landon had asked of them earlier. He took a look around to find the room empty.

Harry puffed irritably and got up to leave before Landon would come for him. He hadn't taken two steps when someone grabbed him by the collar of his robes and, turning him aside, shoved him into the wall adjoining the door. His head hit the wall hard and the world around him went black for a few seconds. When his sight was back, Harry found himself facing a tall boy with black long hair and dark skin. At the sound of the door closing, Harry turned to his left to discover they weren't alone. A third boy was standing next to the door with a pale bony hand on the handle, grinning at him maliciously. His eyes went wide in fear as he remembered the boys from the Common Room earlier.

"How did you do it?" the tall boy asked as he shoved Harry harder into the stone wall, making Harry turn his attention back to him. Harry gulped, trying to bring his frantic heartbeat under control.

"Answer the question," the other boy spat as he pushed a hand on the side of Harry's head violently.

"Do what," Harry shouted, hoping against hope that someone would hear him and come to his rescue. He moved his right hand slowly, trying to take a hold of his wand which was still in his pocket, but unfortunately for him, the stealthy movement did not remain unnoticed and the tall boy grabbed his wrist in a tight grip.

"We know you're a half-blood. How did you get Sorted into Slytherin?" he asked, spattering Harry's face with spittle, as the other boy shoved a wand against his side.

"I didn't do anything," Harry yelped suddenly and squirmed a bit as the wand to his side was pushed in so hard that he was certain it would create a fine hole into him.

"Don't lie, half-blood," the boy with the wand said through gritted teeth. "Talk if you know what's good for you."

Harry tried hard to find a way out of there, but he was practically useless without his wand, though he didn't know enough spells to actually defend himself. He was always at a loss to do accidental magic when he really needed it.

"Look, I'm expected in the Common Room. If you don't let me go now, Landon will come for me," he tried desperately in the most confident voice he could come up with. The tall boy snorted while the other laughed.

"You've got nerves, boy," said the tall boy with a full-face grin, showing his missing tooth. "We're not going to do anything to you. Not for now, anyway. We should definitely find a good use for you, though, Mudblood."

He gave Harry's chest another shove before letting go of his collar and hand and left the room with the other boy in his tow. It took Harry a few moments to come out of the shock of what had just happened. Taking a few deep breaths, he righted his robes and made his way out of the room into the corridor, up the short staircase and into the Common Room which was empty except for the first-years and the two prefects.

"Good. You're here. We were waiting for you," Landon said as he spotted him. Harry nodded and stood next to the other first years before Landon began his speech with the importance of unity among the Slytherins. The one word 'unity' was enough to distract Harry off the rest of Landon's speech as he thought about the recent happening with two of his older housemates. How he was supposed to unite with them was beyond him.

"You weren't listening."

Harry looked up at the prefect who was now standing before him in the empty Common Room. Unbeknownst to Harry, all the first-years had retreated to their dormitories, leaving him with Landon. He smiled at the tall boy and turned to leave before his arm was grabbed from behind. Not knowing what to expect from his housemates after the near ambush, Harry shook his arm free and faced the prefect, keeping his distance.

"Professor Snape always gives the first year speech," Landon said after a few seconds of terrifying silence. "But for some reasons unknown to me, he refused to do it this year."

Not sure what to do with the information, Harry spared himself with a quick nod. He was eager to leave the boy as soon as possible and write his letter to his mother before going to bed.

"How do you see the Slytherin Dungeon?" Landon asked, not giving him the pleasure of being alone. Harry looked around hesitantly and back at the prefect.

"It's a bit spooky," he said at last as his fingers clenched around the wand in his pocket, ready to fight back if struck.

"So you can talk. I thought the same the first time I stepped here," Landon said with a faint smile. "Don't worry, Potter. You'll get used to it."

"It's Harry. Just Harry," Harry said in a low voice.

"Well, Harry, since you didn't listen to a word I said earlier, you may read the rules on the board over there," Landon said, pointing to a board a meter away from the lit fireplace. Receiving a nod, he added, "You'll get your timetable in the morning."

"May I leave now, please?" Harry asked, hoping that he wouldn't be attacked from behind again.

"Go on," was the only thing Harry needed to hear to rush towards the stairs and down to his dormitory. When he reached his destination, he found two of his roommates asleep and the other three busy talking about their favorite Quidditch teams. Ignoring them, Harry took out a parchment and quill and some ink out of his trunk and lay on his bed stomach down to write the promised letter. Since he could find no good memory of the past hours in his mind, he decided to make it as short as possible.

_Mom,_

_I know you will be disappointed in me, but I was Sorted into Slytherin. I'm really really sorry, mom. I couldn't help it. I promise to be a good boy and make you proud, just please please please don't hate me._

_Your son,_

_Harry_

Finishing the letter, he put it on the nightstand by the quill and inkpot, changed into his pajamas, drew the hangings and tried to not think about his conversation with his two attackers as he drifted into a restless sleep, dreaming about being scolded and punished by his father and rejected by his mother.

Feeling unrested in the morning, Harry dragged his body to the bathroom, took a quick shower and changed into his school robes. Shoving the letter he was supposed to send his mother into the pocket of his robes and getting his wand at the ready, Harry left the dormitory before his roommates woke up. Using his memory of last night (his mother always said he had a photographic memory), Harry took the way he had traversed the other night to the Dungeon back to the Great Hall. There weren't many students in the Great Hall as Harry sat at the end of the Slytherin table, trying to eat some breakfast before the other Slytherins made their presence known.

In the following minutes, the other students showed up one by one. Harry focused on his treacle tart to avoid each set of eyes which glanced his way. A couple Slytherins decided to make their own nasty comments before busying themselves with breakfast, albeit not before being withstood by some of their nearby housemates. Harry tried to ignore them to the best of his abilities as he waited for Landon to come and give him his timetable.

Soon, breakfast was over and it was time to distribute the timetables. Harry looked up when he heard a man addressing the Slytherin first years to find the familiar face with the greasy hair giving each of his roommates a parchment, but the only thing he received was a deep scowl as his eyes locked with the man's black ones which were suddenly filled with hatred. Harry averted his eyes to his entwined hands which seemed interesting all of a sudden. He tried to control his breathing as he felt the black eyes linger on him for a few more seconds.

"Your timetable," the familiar voice of Christopher Landon ripped his thoughts apart as a parchment came into his line of vision. Harry turned to the prefect who was now sitting next to him.

"Thanks," he said and forced a smile before scanning the timetable. Harry groaned as he realized he had Defense against the Dark Arts first thing, with the Gryffindors to make it worse. He overlooked the parchment and looked back at Landon.

"Who was the man giving out the timetables?" he asked curiously.

"The man with long black hair? Professor Snape, of course," Landon replied. "He's our Head of House, as well as the Potions' Professor. He's very strict, but everyone says he favors the Slytherins and I kind of agree with them. Not unlike the way your father favors the Gryffindors, mind you."

Harry nodded and averted his eyes back to the parchment in his hands to look for his first Potions class. Tuesday morning, double Potions with the Ravenclaws. The next morning to be exact. He sighed bitterly and folded the parchment. For now, he needed to send his letter before the classes began.

"Will you tell me where the Owlery is, please?" he asked the prefect who was eating his breakfast.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Landon said, releasing his spoon. He took a parchment out of the pocket of his robes and gave it to Harry. "Here's a map of Hogwarts. I thought you would need it."

Taking the map, Harry thanked him and left the table to look for the Owlery. Finding the place on the map on top of the West Tower, he made his way there with quick steps.

"Hedwig," Harry greeted his owl who flew to him as soon as he stepped in the Owlery. "How are you, girl?" he asked, caressing the hooting owl's soft feathers. "I hope you liked Hogwarts more than I did. I need you to deliver a letter to my mom," he said, taking the letter out of his pocket and fastening it to Hedwig's foot. He looked out of the open window of the Owlery.

"Go, girl. Mom's waiting for you," Harry said, throwing Hedwig into the air. He watched as the owl got smaller and smaller until he couldn't see her anymore. Ginny would expect a letter too, he thought with a sigh, but he would take care of that later. Taking a deep breath, he made his way back into the castle and to the Slytherin Dungeon to pack his books for today's classes. He passed the creepy narrow passageways in a run and came to a halt in front of the solid wall to the Common Room.

"Pureblood," he said the password in disgust and walked in. The Common Room would have been vacant if it weren't for the two students who were snogging their mouths off and didn't even spare him a look. Relieved that he didn't have to be at the receiving end of any hostile looks, Harry rushed to his dormitory, packed as quickly as possible and, checking the map of Hogwarts, made his way to the Defense against the Dark Arts' classroom on the third floor. The castle was so vast and confusing that it took Harry a long time to reach the classroom, but when he did he realized that it was still empty. He took a look around at the skeletons and moving pictures before choosing a seat at the end of the class and settling in.

Hermione Granger was the next student to enter the classroom. Sharing a brief look with Harry, she sat in the farthest chair to Harry's, took her Defense book out of her backpack and busied herself with studying. Following the suit, Harry took his book out and opened it to the first chapter. To anyone it seemed he was reading, but he knew the entire chapter by heart and was just trying to distract himself off the other students who filed into the classroom one by one. Only when his father entered the classroom did Harry look up.

"Good morning, class," Professor Potter said as his eyes scanned the class briefly before he sat behind his desk and Harry along with the other students chorused their greetings. After a minute of silence, Professor Potter took the students' list out of the drawer of his desk and started taking the roll call. He had just reached 'Davey Potter' when the said boy opened the classroom door violently and came to a sudden halt, causing Ronald Weasley to crash into him from behind. The Professor looked at the two panting boys with an amused look on his face.

"Sorry, Professor. We got lost," Dave said when his breathing was under control and received a smile from his father before the boys were allowed in. Harry rolled his eyes at his brother's obvious lie considering the fact that Dave had practically lived in the castle for the past school years and knew it like the tip of his wand as Uncle Sirius' words to their mother implied, but their father didn't seem a bit concerned.

Harry's chain of thoughts was disrupted by his father's voice when the Professor called his name out. He answered the man with a confident voice as their eyes locked. Unable to tolerate the furious gaze which painfully bored through him like a white-hot iron rod, Harry severed the eye contact and averted his sad eyes to the open book before him while the Professor finished the list.

Throughout the class, Harry didn't look up as the Professor went on about his teaching method, explained some theories about defense and asked a few questions the answers to which Harry knew but didn't have the courage to look up, let alone raise his hand. At the end of the class, Granger and Dave each gained ten points for Gryffindor for answering the questions and Malfoy lost five points for mocking Granger.

"Stay behind, Harry," Professor Potter said when the bell rang. Harry looked up from his bag on the table to his father hesitantly. The way he called Harry by his first name could be considered friendly if it weren't for the fact that Harry was a Potter and the Professor didn't want to acknowledge him as one. Harry nodded quickly as he zipped his bag and slung it on his shoulder while the other students left the class one by one.

Harry walked to the middle of the class and stood before the big desk his father was sitting behind, tapping his index finger on it and making a dull sound. He didn't say anything, nor did he look at the waiting Harry.

"Dad," Harry called innocently to catch his father's attention, but it seemed to be a wrong move as the Professor glared at him threateningly.

"I don't recall giving you permission to call me 'Dad'," Professor Potter hissed at the boy who suddenly decided to admire his shoes as his eyes stung. He wanted to point out he wasn't in class, but he knew his father's problem was not with being called 'Dad' in class, but by the fact that HE 'Harry' had called him 'Dad'.

"Why weren't you paying attention to your Professor in class?" the Professor asked after a long pause.

"But I was," Harry said as his head snapped up.

"I was standing in the middle of the class not on your desk," Professor Potter hinted not too friendly.

"But I was listening, D-," Harry stopped himself before he could finish the forbidden title. He clasped his hands together as they started shaking more in anger than fear.

"Don't lie to me, boy," the Professor threatened. Harry trapped his trembling lower lip between his teeth before he would make an unwelcomed comment and make the situation worse.

"Five points from _Slytherin_. Be sure it's your last time," Professor Potter said and Harry just nodded, even though he wasn't sure what to be sure of – whether to pay attention in class, not to call his Professor 'Dad', or not to lie.

"On to your next class. I'm not going to excuse your tardiness."

"Yes, sir," Harry said before practically running out of the classroom. A group of older students were standing behind the door and Harry guessed his father should have locked the door for their conversation to take place, although he didn't remember hearing a Locking Charm at any point.

Hoping they hadn't heard any of his father's accusations, Harry ran to his next class, but before he reached his destination, he stopped in an empty corridor to bring his emotions under control. When he was ordered to stay after class, he was sure his father was going to give him his thoughts on his son being in Slytherin and the way the Professor had pronounced his House's name with resentment showed he didn't like the new turnabouts. Harry would have considered himself lucky if it weren't for the fact that his father didn't even accept him as a son to care about his House.

"Don't be a crybaby, Harry. Grow up. You're eleven, not one," Harry reprimanded himself, drying the tiny tear which had rolled down his cheek at some point. After a quick check of the Hogwarts' map, he made his way to the History of Magic class. The Ghost of Professor Binns didn't care a bit that he was late and let him in without a comment.

The rest of his day was uneventful for the most part. During lunch, one of his housemates decided to let his opinion of a Potter in Slytherin known, but Landon shut him up quickly. Harry's afternoon class, Charms with Ravenclaws, gained him five points for answering Professor Flitwick's question which made Harry feel good for the first time since his father had deducted him points for no reason at all.

The next morning, Harry woke up around six, drenched in sweat with his scar pulsing. He had an odd dream about wandering in a dark forest. He remembered having the same dream a few months back, but he hadn't given it much thought. Rubbing at his scar absent-mindedly, he got up to have a shower before his roommates woke up.

By the time he was back in the room, his roommates were stirring awake one by one. Harry put his school robes on, packed his schoolbag with today's classes' books and walked out of the room, up the stairs and into the Common Room. A few boys and girls were already in the Common Room, but it was deathly quiet.

Overlooking every pair of eyes which turned his way, Harry stepped towards the exit door, but before he could reach his destination a pair of hands grabbed at his collar, taking him off the floor by a few inches. Trying to ignore his thumping heart and act brave, he shoved his wand into a muscular boy's chest.

"Let me down," he all but yelled. He could feel a twinge of fear in his voice and hoped no-one would take heed of it. Tightening his grip, the boy laughed at Harry. The sound of his laughter was accompanied by a few others around the Common Room and Harry tried to block them in an attempt to stay brave.

"Let him go, Flint," a girl's voice said.

"What's it to you?" Flint said, looking at the girl, before he turned his attention back to Harry. "How did you get Sorted into Slytherin, you half-blood?" he asked, his features changing to anger in a split second.

"Go ask that stupid hat. It's not like I wanted to be in Slytherin," Harry spat in anger, despite the fear he still felt, and the boy let go of his collar suddenly, making Harry fall on his bottom.

"Shit. What did you do?" Flint asked, rubbing at his chest where Harry's wand was shoved earlier with his left hand, as his right hand grabbed a hold of his wand and he pointed it at Harry.

"Farley's coming, Marcus," another girl's voice came from behind the muscular boy to Harry's relief. The boy gritted his large teeth in anger and left Harry to himself before the blonde prefect entered the Common Room. Harry stood up and rubbed at his slightly sore bottom before he righted his robes.

"Are you okay, Potter?"

Harry looked up at Gemma Farley and gave a quick nod.

"Yeah. I just fell," he explained, took his book bag which was lying on the floor and slung it on his shoulder before he ran away from the suffocating tension of the Common Room.

After a quick breakfast in the Great Hall, Harry checked the Owlery for his mother's reply, but there was no trace of Hedwig. Looking disappointed, he made his way back to the dungeons where he had his first Potions' class with the Ravenclaws. A few Ravenclaws were already in the classroom when he arrived. He chose a desk at the end of class again and settled in, all the while thinking about why his mother had not answered his letter yet.

When the class was packed with students, the Potions' Professor strode in with his robes bellowing behind him. He took his place behind his desk before he started taking the roll call. He stood up when he was finished and began giving an apparently rehearsed 'poetic' speech about simmering cauldrons and shimmering fumes with some hints about bottling fame, brewing glory and stoppering death.

"Potter," he called when he was done with the speech, startling Harry. Harry stood up instantly, waiting to see why his name was called.

"What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

Harry gave a sigh when the question was asked. Although he seemed to have some problems with potions the first time he tried to read his Potions book, he had almost learned the whole book and some other information on the subject with his mother's help. It was part of their deal. His mother had accepted to help him as long as he obeyed her rules.

"The Draught of the Living Death, sir," Harry answered simply.

"Where would you look," the Professor started again, seething that his first question was answered correctly, "if I told you to find me a bezoar, _Potter_?" Snape spat the last name like it was a curse, but Harry was not going to be intimidated by his tone.

"In the stomach of a goat, sir," Harry said confidently as he stared at the Professor, daring him to ask another question, but it never happened.

"Detention, Potter, for cheating," Snape said instead, shocking Harry out of his skin. A few of Harry's housemates sniggered, but Harry ignored them all, placing all his attention on the tall man who was smirking at him.

"But I didn't cheat, sir. I haven't even taken out my book," he reasoned with his Head of House to no avail.

"Didn't you?" Snape drawled. "I asked your brother the same questions yesterday. Don't tell me you haven't talked to him."

"But I haven't…"

"Sit down," Snape snapped at him, "before I give you another detention. Stay after class to be informed of the date of your detention."

Fuming at the injustice of the detention he'd got, Harry slumped back in his seat. He was tempted to tell the Professor to ask him any other question he wanted, but he knew it would only get him another detention. The Head of Slytherin House didn't seem the type to take points from his own House (hence explaining the detention Harry got) as it was revealed after the points he took from Terry Boot, a Ravenclaw, who didn't know the difference – or indifference in this case – between Monkshood and Wolfsbane.

The students were then ordered to pair and brew some Boil-Curing Potion, the instructions to which were written on the blackboard by Snape himself. The odd number of the students left Harry alone, but it didn't matter to him as he set to work in silence, blocking the sound of Snape sweeping around the class and criticizing almost everyone. At the end of the class, they all bottled their potions, most of which disasters, put the vials on the Professor's desk and filed out of the classroom.

Except Harry, of course. He put his vial of Boil-Curing Potion besides the rest and waited for the Professor to give him the promised date. Snape took the vial Harry had placed on his desk in his hand and surveyed it with a critical eye. The potion was perfect, Harry was sure of that, but the Professor didn't seem to approve of it.

"Do you take me for a fool, Potter?" Snape said, putting the vial back on the desk. Harry frowned, not knowing what Snape was talking about.

"I was watching you the whole time," the Professor continued. "Just because you're in my House doesn't mean you can get away with cheating."

Harry's eyes went wide at the accusation. He didn't know what Snape had against him. It was the second time in a day the Professor had accused him of cheating.

"I didn't cheat, sir, I swear," he said, but was ignored.

"Or do you think being James Potter's spawn will give you privileges over other students?"

By the way the Professor spat his father's name, Harry could tell what was behind the injustice. Seething inside, Harry tried to keep up a calm façade. He knew losing it would only aggravate his situation and he wasn't about to give Snape any chance to prove his point.

"Be right here on Saturday morning at 8 sharp for your detention," Snape informed him at last. "Be late and you'll get a whole week worth of detention."

"Yes, sir," Harry said before he was motioned out. He'd thought the second day of school would be better than the first, but it didn't seem so. Although it was too soon to give up, Harry wished he was back at home with his mother. But now it seemed as if his mother didn't want him as well. Not after being Sorted into Slytherin.

Not feeling Hungry, Harry made his way towards the front door and out to breathe some fresh air. After only two days, he was feeling cold and suffocated in the damp dungeons. He wanted to check the Owlery again, but he knew it was useless. His mother had given up on him. Surely it wouldn't take Hedwig that long to deliver his letter and be back, 'or maybe it would,' he thought hopefully. With that in mind, he walked towards the Owlery and stepped in. Hedwig was not there. Too much to hope for.

Harry shook his head and turned to leave the Owlery when he saw her. Flying in the sky. Coming to deliver his mother's letter. Hedwig. He stuck his arm out for Hedwig to sit on as the owl flew in through the window.

"Hey, Hedwig. I was getting worried," he said when the owl obeyed. Hedwig hooted and picked his foot up for Harry to get the letter. Unfastening the letter, Harry put Hedwig back in the Owlery to rest and have something before he sat on the windowsill to read it, not caring about his robes getting soiled. He frantically opened the letter while his heart quickened its beats and read,

_Dear son,_

_I know I always made comments on you being in Gryffindor, but I want you to know it wasn't because I had anything against Slytherin or any other House for that matter. To be honest, back in school, my best friend was a Slytherin._

_I'm proud of you, love, and I'd never hate you, even if you were Voldemort himself. Never forget that. And next time you're sending a letter, please make it longer. Don't send poor Hedwig to London just for a few lines. I'd like to know about how school is going on as well. Write about your classes, Professors and classmates. And remember, you can always count on me in case you had any problems. I'll come straight to Hogwarts if need be._

_Miss you,_

_Mom_

By the time he finished the letter, Harry's eyes were glistening with tears. A tiny tear of happiness made it out, warming Harry's heart and soul. He hadn't felt so happy since he'd started school. His mother still loved him, in spite of the new turnabouts, and it was all that mattered. His father, his Head of House, his housemates, and everyone for that matter could go to hell. Harry folded the precious letter and tucked it in his pocket when his stomach grumbled. Maybe he was hungry. He looked at his watch to make sure he still had time for lunch before he left for the Great Hall with a light heart.

A/N: This is the longest chapter I've done. Hope you liked it. There will be no Lily for a few chapters, but she'll come back in the story sooner than you'd expect. I'm afraid you have to bear an angsty Harry for a while, though.

I know that James' reaction to Harry calling him Dad was a bit harsh, but that particular sentence is needed for the fic. Don't forget what Lily told James right before she left with Harry.

As for putting Harry in Slytherin, I would've gone for Ravenclaw if it weren't necessary for the plot development. I'll write about Harry's conversation with the Hat later if need be.

And about Snape, there's a reason he hates Harry and even though his behavior gives the impression that it's because of his hatred for James, that's definitely a cover-up for the truth which will be revealed in due time. For those of you who like a Severus/Lily pairing, I like Severus, but this fic is not going that way as I said before and nothing's going to change it.

By the way, constructive criticism is highly appreciated, but please don't flame, not that any of you has. Your reviews are all great, just like yourselves. Thanks a million times.


	8. Nighttime Visit

A/N: I know it took long. I was sick for a while and then they were some family problems and after that I got sick again (as a matter of fact, I still am). To put all them aside, I didn't have an internet connection for a month or so which is a record considering that I can't spend a day without internet. Enough of excuses.

Thanks for your reviews, guys. Anyone who has stopped reading this story because Harry is in Slytherin or for any reason at all, thank you for being with me till now. I wish you good luck. Before starting with the new chapter (which is not good, but needed), I need to clear up some things.

As dear **poleno** mentioned, I've dropped a Slytherin girl and that's Tracey Davis, since I needed an odd number. I wanted to add Sally-Ann Perks at first, though. But I had no idea which House she was in. Can you help me with that?

My great reviewer, **The Wandmaker**, hinted some important matters which need clarification. I know it seems that the story consists of abuse and nothing else, but it's just the beginning of Harry's first year at Hogwarts and the abuse is NOT the plot, it's just something that develops what's going to happen in the following months and years. So, Harry is not going to be treated like crap throughout all his years at Hogwarts. There will be some stuff in his first year, some of which will end before Christmas and some will take longer, but everything will turn out okay at last. As for James, I don't want to give the plot away.

By the way, Lily is not supposed to be the epitome of a perfect mother. She makes mistakes just like everyone else.

**Warning:** Mention of child abuse and 'mild' child molestation (it wasn't supposed to turn out like this; it just did. It's just this one time if you need to know. Harry will soon find a way to get around it. If you don't like it, you just need to skip the last part.)

Disclaimer: Absolutely not mine…

Chapter 8: Night-time Visit

_The six-year-old Harry Potter was lying on his bed, stomach down, going through a children's book, not reading, but watching the various moving pictures, when his father stepped in and closed the door behind him, putting Locking and Silencing charms on it. The boy let go of his book and sat with his back against the headboard while his father started looking through Harry's possessions for something._

_"What're you looking f-for, Dad?" Harry asked innocently, clasping his small hands together in a praying manner. The father took no heed of the question and continued what he was doing._

_"Accio Gobstones set," James said after a bit of rummaging the boy's possessions and Harry's Gobstones set flew out of his dresser. "What's this?" he asked threateningly, picking the set of Gobstones up and eying the boy with unadulterated fury._

_"That's mine," Harry muttered in a low voice._

_"Don't lie to me, boy," James yelled at the cowering boy. "You don't have a Gobstones set. Dave's lost his. I should've known you've stolen it."_

_"But I haven't," Harry said as his father approached him. "I swear that's mine. Mommy bought it for my birthday," he said truthfully. It was his sixth birthday present and he was taught to hide it from his father at all costs. Maybe his dresser wasn't a good hiding place. On the second thought, there was no good hiding place when you could use magic._

_"I don't know what to do with you," James hissed, kicking Harry's bed so hard that it shook. Harry yelped in fear and cowered further, hiding his head behind his small arms._

_Letting go of the Gobstones set, James grabbed the boy's left upper arm in a tight grip, taking him off the bed, while his right hand, now wand-free, fumbled with his belt buckle. Harry's eyes went wide as he noticed what his father was doing. He wished his father never wore belts. James had never taken his belt on Harry and the boy didn't want to know what would happen if he did._

_"No," Harry cried, trying to free his arm in a futile attempt. "Please, Dad. I'm sorry. Please, don't hurt me. Dooon't," he screamed as the first lash connected his scrawny back._

Harry shot up in bed and looked around in fear. The green hangings of his four-poster bed at Hogwarts were the only thing he could behold. He took a few deep breaths to bring his thumping heart under control as he realized it had all been a dream. A nightmare. Of one of his worst memories.

Harry remembered that night quite well. He shook his head to avoid the painful reminder of the successive lashes that showered on his back and behind his legs. He remembered how his father had threatened him to stay quiet.

"One word to your mother, and I'll take your tongue out of your big mouth," he'd said as he'd shaken Harry's younger self.

Harry wasn't sure how he had succeeded in hiding the bruises for the night. He had changed into his pajamas painfully and had lain in bed, pulling his blanket under his chin, before his mother entered the room to give him his goodnight kiss. His face was still wet with tears, but he had refused to tell his mother the reason behind, no matter how much she'd pleaded with him.

Giving his head a quick shake, Harry checked the big green clock hanging on one side of the room. It was 4 a.m. and he knew he couldn't go back to sleep. Taking a quick shower and changing into some clean clothes, he made his way to the Common Room to finish his Defense essay. It was the best time to do his homework when everyone was still asleep and he didn't have to look around time and again to make sure he was safe.

Working on his Defense essay, his thoughts wandered to yesterday class again. He had enough time to finish it the previous day, but he couldn't concentrate as his father's face came into his line of vision, soiling the half-written parchment.

Friday morning, the Slytherin and Gryffindor first-years had their second Defense class in a week and it hadn't gone well for the Slytherins. Trying to act brave, Harry had put his hand up on a few occasions to answer Professor Potter's questions, but he was ignored every single time. Sometime through the middle of class, he had decided that it wasn't worth it to put his hand up to bring it down again and let the Gryffindors suck up to their favorite Professor. At the end of class, Harry had lost ten points for Slytherin for no reason at all, as expected, and the other first-year Slytherins, mainly Malfoy and his massive friends Crabbe and Goyle, decided to criticize him with some nasty comments. Not that they hadn't lost any points themselves, a fact that Blaise Zabini pointed out much to Harry's astonishment.

With the thoughts whirling around in his mind, it took Harry almost an hour to finish the assigned essay and then he decided to write the letter he had promised Ginny. He had put it off for far too long. He rolled off a blank parchment in front of him, rinsed his quill in his inkpot and put the tip of the quill to parchment.

_Dear Ginny,_ he started, but couldn't go on. Ginny was his only friend and he didn't want to lose her because he was Sorted into Slytherin. He liked to shred the Sorting Hat to pieces for making his life miserable, but he had no way to get his hands on it. Rolling the parchment, he put it back in his book bag and took out the book on Animal Transfiguration he had taken out of Hogwarts' massive library for some light reading. He was almost done with the first chapter when a teenage girl walked into the Common Room. The girl looked at him warily and Harry took it as his hint to leave before the other Slytherins showed up. He quickly put his bag in his dormitory and left the Slytherin Dungeon to the Great Hall for breakfast.

Harry took his time walking to the Great Hall. It wasn't every day he gained the opportunity to wander Hogwarts castle without being interrupted by a shove or comment. A few older students of different Houses were already in the Great Hall when he stepped in, but it was empty for the most part. Ignoring all, Harry stepped towards the Slytherin table and sat at the farthest end, waiting for the food to appear.

As soon as the food appeared, Harry piled his plate as much as possible. He hadn't had enough dinner the previous night due to an unnerving pair of grins from Wolfram Wilkes and Brendon Wells, the two boys who had attacked him on his first day at Hogwarts, and had left the table before everyone else. Some of the Slytherins had let up on Harry's case, but a few (those two, in particular) were still on his back. Harry was halfway through breakfast when he felt trapped in his place by two bodies.

"Hey, Potty. How you doing?"

Harry looked at the boy on his right. He groaned as he came face to face with Wilkes. After a week of constant hell, the boy was really getting on his nerves.

"I was fine before you arrived," he said boldly.

"Good to know I'm a pain in your ass," Wilkes said with a full-face grin. Sitting on his other side, Wells nudged Harry in the ribs playfully.

"What do you want this time?" Harry asked, feeling uneasy. He knew the boys couldn't do much in the crowded Great Hall, packed with both Professors and students, but it didn't make him feel any better.

"We've decided what you are good for. Don't ask what. It's going to be a surprise. We'll let you know tonight," Wilkes said, ruffling Harry's hair. To anyone who looked their way, it seemed like a friendly act, but to Harry, it was downright creepy. He felt the urge to vomit and the hairs on his arms stood up as the hand played with his messy hair.

"If you be so kind as to let me go, I need to attend my detention with Professor Snape," Harry said, feeling suffocated between the two, even though he had half an hour until his detention and the said Professor was still sitting at the staff table having breakfast.

"Go on. See you later," Wilkes said with a pat on Harry's back as though he was departing from his best friend before both boys gave him enough space to leave the table.

As soon as he was released, Harry left the Great Hall with quick steps. Trying to not think about what Wilkes and Wells had in store for him, he made his way to the dungeons, not to Professor Snape's office, but to his dormitory. Somewhere through the way, he felt a chilly feeling inside him, like someone was with him. He looked around carefully, his insides twisting together in fear. The corridor was empty.

Harry took a few more steps towards the Slytherin Dungeon slowly and carefully before he saw someone, a bloody ghost floating in the air, coming towards him in full speed. He let out a sudden yelp as the ghost rushed through him, and fell to the floor. It wasn't painful, but he felt freezing inside and he was a bit dizzy.

Harry looked up from the floor at the ghost. He knew who it was. The Bloody Baron. The Slytherin's ghost. Harry had read about him in 'Hogwarts: A History'. He even remembered his housemates talking to the Bloody Baron in the Welcoming feast, but he had been too worried to care about the ghost at the time.

"Hello, Potter," the ghost said, hovering a few feet from Harry. "I was wondering how you were Sorted into Slytherin."

"Not you too," Harry groaned. He had enough problems. He didn't need the Slytherin's ghost to be on his back as well.

"You're a lucky guy, did you know that? It's not every day that a half-blood gets Sorted into the noble House of Slytherin. You're now one of us, anyway. Don't hesitate to come to me if you had any problems," the Bloody Baron said before he turned and floated away.

Getting up off the floor, Harry righted his robes and walked to his destination. While there, he packed some books he knew he would need after his detention. He had no intention of going back to his dormitory for the day. Slinging his book bag on his shoulder, he walked out of the Slytherin Dungeon into the narrow corridors again. He could see some of his housemates coming back from breakfast, but they didn't acknowledge his presence as they passed by and Harry was thankful for that.

When he reached the Potions classroom, Harry stopped behind the door and checked his watch. It was two minutes to eight. Glad that he was on time, Harry knocked on the door before it was too late. He hadn't forgotten the warning the Professor had given him.

"Come in," he was ordered after a few moments and obeyed instantly.

"Good. Your punctuality is nothing like your father's. Let's see how you do at cleaning. I want those cauldrons spotless before lunch," Snape said, pointing to a corner of the classroom. A pile of dirty cauldrons greeted Harry as he looked to the corner. He could bet they were all the cauldrons in the whole school.

"You don't have all day, Potter. Get to work," Snape demanded when Harry hesitated, and then left to his office before Harry had the chance to say anything.

Putting his bag on a nearby desk, Harry took out his robes and threw them on the bag. He rolled up his sleeves and set to work. The class was quiet throughout the ordeal. Surprisingly, the Professor never checked on him as he scrubbed the scabbed cauldrons one by one. He was almost done when he heard a voice.

_'It'sss almossst lunch time. When isss Massster going to releassse the poor boy?'_ the voice said. At first, Harry thought it was Snape coming to release him, but the following question annulled the possibility. He looked around the classroom for the source. No one was around.

_'I'm here, boy, if you're looking for me,'_ the voice said. Harry's head whipped to the other corner of the classroom where the voice was coming from and he saw it. There was a small glass box lying on a shelf in the corner and a small snake was slithering about in it. Harry cleaned his stinging hands on his trousers, cursing under his breath for not using gloves, before he made his way to the shelf.

_'Hi,'_ he said, examining the red and blue snake. _'I didn't sssee you before.'_

_'Of courssse you didn't. You were doing a fine job ssscrubbing thossse cauldronsss,'_ the snake said, not at all fazed by the fact that it was talking to a human being, unlike the giant snake they had met at the zoo, and Harry guessed it should've talked to parselmouths before, though there wasn't a high possibility, considering his mother's words about the rarity of parselmouths.

_'Thanksss,'_ Harry said, glancing at the properly washed cauldrons. _'Have you talked to a lot of parsselmouthss?'_ he asked curiously.

_'No, there'sss no parsselmouthss around here asss long asss I know. Minusss you, of coursse. Whatever gave you the idea, boy?'_ the snake asked, cocking its head to one side. Harry shrugged dismissively.

_'My name'ss Harry, you know,'_ Harry said, not liking the idea of being called 'boy'. His father used to call him 'boy' every time he was angry with him. _'What'ss your name?'_ he then asked.

_'My breeder named me Ssilass. But Masster Ssnape callss me Ethan,'_ the snake said. Harry gave a jolt at the mention of his Professor's last name as he remembered what his mother had warned him of.

_'You're not going to tell Professssor Ssnape about me, are you?'_ he asked cautiously.

_'Ussse your brain, boy. He doessn't underssstand me, doess he?'_ Ethan said, his face taking the form of a smile or what looked like a smile on a snake's face. Before Harry had the chance to answer, there was a bellow from behind him.

"What are you doing, Potter?"

Harry jumped at the sudden call of his name and turned to look at the Potions Master.

"I-I was admiring E- your snake, sir," Harry stammered out, stopping himself from saying the snake's name at the last moment.

"I suggest you get back to scrubbing the cauldrons before I make you clean Ethan's dwelling," the Professor said with a smirk, gesturing to the glass box with his head. "You can leave for lunch when you're finished."

"Yes, sir," Harry said as he went back to work. There was only two cauldrons left unwashed and Harry tried to do it as soon as possible, ignoring the stinging in his hands, both from coming in touch with the detergent and different potion ingredients. After washing his hands, he pulled on his robes and slung his bag on his shoulder.

"May I leave now, sir?" he asked the Professor who was sitting behind his desk grading some papers. Receiving a nod, he strode out of the classroom, making his way to the library. He had no intention of going to the Great Hall and confronting the two bullies whom he didn't know what had in store for him.

The library was empty and he guessed everyone should be having lunch in the Great Hall. He walked to the cozy corner he had made his territory throughout the past week and settled in. No one disturbed him while he was there. It was his sanctuary.

"May I sit here?" a voice asked before Harry had the chance to take any of his books out and he realized he'd just jinxed the place.

"You will, no matter what I say. So, why ask?" Harry said with an indifferent shrug of the shoulders.

"Good point," Granger said, making herself at home. Harry took out his Defense book, trying to study the second chapter for the following day's session, even though he knew Granger wouldn't leave him unless she was done with her babbling. She had tried to capture Harry's attention the previous day after their common Defense class.

"I didn't see you at the Great Hall for lunch. You weren't in the library before that either. You were in detention with Professor Snape, weren't you?"

"How do you know about my detention?" Harry asked, looking up from the open book before him.

"All the school knows," Granger answered like it was the most obvious thing in the whole world. "The first detention of the year and all that rubbish. The Weasley twins said something about coming after you for 'getting the privilege'. They were joking, of course," she added at the sight of the frown forming on Harry's face.

"It was cruel of Professor Snape to give you detention for answering his questions, though," she said, confusing Harry more than he was. He didn't expect a simple detention, no matter how cruel, to be the subject of the school gossip. No one else seemed to think of it as cruel, though.

"Why do you care?" he snapped at the girl sharply. If she thought Harry needed her sympathy, she was damn too wrong.

"You don't need to be so nasty all the time, you know. I wanted to talk to you about your wand. I did some research on wands and there was nothing about multiplying the magic."

Harry puffed irritably. He had realized his mother had not been faithful with him after the conversation he had with Granger on the train and he had tried hard to forget about it. She didn't have to rob it in.

"By the way, why are you reading Defense, Harry _Nothing_?" Granger asked in a mocking tone of voice, apparently irritated by Harry's lack of respect. "It's not like the Professor asks you questions."

"Will you leave me alone? I can't concentrate with you talking nonsense into my ear," Harry yelled desperately, receiving glares from the newly-arrived occupants of the only table in view. Adding her own glare, Granger huffed at Harry and left him alone in his sanctuary.

Harry spent the rest of the day in the library until it was time for dinner. He couldn't ignore his grumbling stomach anymore and reluctantly walked to the Great Hall. As soon as he stepped in, Wilkes and Wells grinned at him like they were waiting for him, but Harry ignored them and sat as far away from them as possible. Luckily for him, the other Slytherins paid him no attention as he piled his plate with colorful foods and shoveled in, except one occasion when Milicent Bulstrode, one of the first years, asked him to pass the steak.

After dinner, Harry made his way back to the Slytherin Dungeon through the always dark corridors astonishingly undisturbed. There were no shoves or nasty comments. The large group of students gathered in the Common Room didn't seem to notice his presence at all as he walked to his dormitory which was occupied by two chattering first-years.

Harry sat on his bed brooding. He cursed his luck for being Sorted into Slytherin. He wasn't cunning like the Slytherins were supposed to be; at least he didn't think he was. He was ambitious, yes, but it wasn't like he wanted to be great to rule the world. Slytherin wasn't the only House he could be great in either. Yet, the stupid Hat had insisted that it was the best House for him. It was more his Hell than House.

Harry drew the hangings and lay down on bed, still in his robes, his wand at the ready. He fixed his gaze on the low ceiling as though it were the most fascinating thing he'd ever seen, trying to not think about Wilkes' friendly threat. A while later, as he heard his roommates enter and get ready for sleep, he decided the danger was gone. He changed into his pajamas and lay back on bed, his wand still in his hand.

When his roommates' midnight chattering stopped and the sound of loud snoring filled the dormitory at last, Harry put his wand under his pillow and closed his eyes. He was just drifting when he felt a weight on his chest. His eyes flew open as a hand was pressed on his mouth and nose, blocking his airway.

"Silencing charms, Bren. Quickly," a voice whispered and Harry knew all luck would be gone if Silencing charms were up. He felt another weight on his shins and heard a 'Silencio' whisper.

"Go on, Wolf," Brendon Wells said before Wilkes' hand was removed from Harry's mouth.

"What do you have against me?" Harry asked, wheezing between gulps of breath, as he tried desperately to free his arms which were now trapped under Wilkes' knees as he was straddling Harry's abdomen.

"I'll let you know at a later time," Wilkes hissed through gritted teeth. "For now, I want to have my fun." He grinned maniacally.

Harry panicked by the quick change of Wilkes' features and squirmed under the two heavy bodies.

"Let go of me," he yelled, even though he knew no one could hear him.

"Make the brat stop, Wolf," Wells said, pressing on Harry's knees as hard as he could. Wilkes obeyed with an iron fist right under Harry's ribcage. Harry ceased his struggles at once and groaned. Wilkes gently patted Harry's face with the same hand he had punched Harry with. Harry shuddered as the hand worked down to his pajama top.

"What are you doing?" he asked in a panicked voice.

Wilkes paid him no attention and opened his buttons one by one, grinning all the while at Harry's discomfort.

"Please let me go," Harry whispered desperately, too scared to be ashamed of his own pleading. He tried to free his arms and legs, but he was no match for two seventh years. He was in dire need of his accidental magic which seemed suffocated at its core. Wilkes undid three of Harry's pajama top's buttons and touched Harry's exposed chest.

"You'll make a good whore, Mudblood," he said, making shivers go down Harry's spine. Harry shook his head to sides slightly as the reality struck him more painfully than Wilkes' fist under his ribcage. His heartbeat reached its highest rate and his breathing quickened to an incredible speed. His eyes stung with tears, but none of them made it out.

"You're scared, aren't you?" Wilkes said, caressing Harry's neck with his long fingers before his hand continued down on Harry's chest heaving up and down so quick that it hurt. Harry's head was pounding painfully and yet, he felt like it wasn't getting enough oxygen. His brain was a bundle of incoherent thoughts. He knew his two uninvited visitors were talking, but he didn't understand head or tail of what they were saying. All he felt was those rough hands assaulting his privacy. Just when he thought he couldn't take it anymore, there was a burning sensation in his chest where Wilkes' hand was tickling his soft skin before his world went black.

A/N: I'm sorry for the new turnabout. I understand if you don't like it 'cause I don't (I'll try to update soon to make up for it). I thought of a million different ways to reach my goal, but none of them satisfied the plot. Just keep in mind that it took only a few seconds for Harry's accidental magic (in case you hadn't figured out) to kick in, though in his eyes it seemed much longer. Harry's been too dependent on his mother. He needs to learn how to cope without Lily and he needs a trigger to grow up. He will come up with something to protect himself in a couple of chapters and he will make friends with a few of the Slytherins as well.

As for that memory at the beginning of this chapter, I can assure you it wasn't an everyday occasion and it had nothing to do with Harry stealing. James was angry with something else and Harry just happened to be his outlet for the anger.

Please, don't give me flames. I have no fireplace to use them for and I'm afraid I'll burn myself. Ouch. That hurt. Be kind, please, and patient.


	9. Late Night Wanderings

A/N: Thanks to those of you who reviewed and NOT flamed. I remember telling you that I have a low self-confidence. Well, that's an understatement. I have absolutely NO self-confidence. That's why I'm continuing this fic. To improve in that area.

**OliviaKatetheGreat** Wow! That's an appreciative wow. Harry and Dave won't be friends in the near future. Perhaps in years to come...

Disclaimer: Not mine...

Chapter 9: Late Night Wanderings

Harry tried to make it out of the damp corridors of the spooky dungeons as quickly as possible. He didn't want to experience another encounter with Wilkes and Wells so soon after yesterday's fright as the said boys had shoved him into a broom closet Harry had not noticed before to threaten him with some words as effective as, "you won't be so lucky the next time around," and "you can't escape us forever, Mudblood," with their rotten logic of "if you're not a pureblood, then you're as good as a Mudblood." The funny thing was that Wilkes' right hand was wrapped in a thick bandage for the past week and Harry guessed he had something to do with it, especially with the way he kept his distance.

Harry didn't remember much of the night he had been attacked in his own bed at Hogwarts, but the following morning when he had woken up, he'd found himself disheveled with his pajama top unbuttoned. After emptying the pitiful contents of his stomach, Harry had taken his longest bath ever, taking great pleasure in scrubbing the skin off his chest until it was red and raw. So much so that it still stung after almost a week, reminding Harry time and again of what had happened and what would probably happen if he weren't careful enough.

Harry was breathless by the time he made it out of the dungeons, but he didn't stop until he was in the safety of Hogwarts' big library, settled in his cozy corner which hadn't been disturbed again after his last conversation with Granger. Before getting to his homework, Harry took out the last letter his mother had sent him.

_Dear Harry,_

_I'm really happy for you. It's great to know you've made friends, no matter which House they're from. I'm sure Neville could be a great friend. Back in school, his mother was a great person to have around. I particularly like this Hermione girl you wrote about. She sounds like a smart girl and is worth befriending. I like to know more about them._

_As for your marks, I'm proud of you, love. I'm sure your Potions' making will improve if you concentrate on what you're brewing. Don't worry about Defense either. I know your father can be a jerk when he wants to, but it doesn't matter as long as you get a passing mark. Don't push yourself too much for his approval. You're great the way you are._

_Everyone at the Ministry misses you already, most of all Moody. He's asking about you every other day, trying to make sure you haven't changed your plans for future. He asked me to give you his regards. Uncle Sirius also wanted you to know he's coming to Hogwarts on Sunday. He expects to see you in private. Just wait for him._

_Mr. Weasley was complaining the other day that Ginny hasn't been herself lately. I have a hunch what this is all about. I'm sure she's not going to reject you because of your House, love. Give her time and she'll come around._

_Uncle Remus wants to hear from you too. I hear he hasn't got a single letter from you since you started Hogwarts. He knows you're in Slytherin and he doesn't have any problem with it. He said so himself. Don't let the poor man wait any longer. You know how much he loves you._

_Lots of love,_

_Mom_

_P.S. Send me word if you needed anything._

Harry felt guilty for lying to his mother, but deep down, he thought of it as retaliation for his mother's lie about his holy wand, although he knew it was ungrateful of him to think that. He had written to his mother that he'd made friends with Neville Longbottom – he thought his mother would like him to befriend Longbottom considering she knew his grandmother – and Hermione Granger – she was the only student he'd had a 'decent' conversation with, for lack of a better word.

Harry had also lied to his mother about his Defense and Potions marks, saying that he got passing marks if not good marks. He hadn't written anything about Ginny. His mother's words implied that Ginny knew he was a Slytherin and didn't like it. He guessed Ron had told his sister which House Harry had been Sorted into. She was bound to find out one day and Harry wasn't angry at Ron for doing it in his stead, even though he was depressed at the thought of losing the one friend he had.

Harry put the letter aside since he didn't know what to write this time. He didn't like to lie again, but he knew he had to if he didn't want his mother to get worried more than she already was.

Scattering different Defense books around himself, Harry decided to do his Defense essay. He didn't know why he wanted his essay to be perfect after the marks he'd got on his first two essays, or lack of marks to be exact. His father had just crossed the essays with red ink. It was obvious he had not read them but the name on top. Harry was almost done with the essay when someone invaded his privacy.

"Everywhere else is full," Granger said in a pitiful attempt to lie. It seemed to Harry that she couldn't lie to save her life as he meaningfully glanced at the only table in view which was soul-free.

"I need some of these books to do my essay," Granger said, motioning to the scattered Defense books on the table.

"Make yourself at home," Harry said sarcastically. He knew it wasn't needed. Granger didn't seem the type to need invitations or pleasantries. Even her housemates didn't seem to be fond of her. Not that Harry's were of him.

Ignoring Granger, Harry tried to finish his essay. It was a great feat, considering the always chattering girl who liked to know everything and sounded like a know-it-all, though Harry wasn't about to tell her any of this.

"Who's Ginny? A Weasley, I suppose?"

Harry's head snapped up at the question, wondering how Granger knew about Ginny. Perhaps she really knew everything, Harry thought, but it was soon contradicted as Harry's eyes fell on the parchment in her hands. It was his mother's letter.

"You have no right reading my letter," Harry said, snatching the parchment out of her hand.

"I already did," Granger said simply. "I didn't know I was your friend."

"You're not," he almost yelled.

"Your mother begs to differ. What did you write her about me?"

Harry wanted to yell at Granger to leave him alone, but he thought better of it. It wouldn't do to show weakness.

"None of your business," he said in a low voice, tucking the letter in his pocket. "I'm done with my Defense essay. You can have the books all to yourself."

"Can I read your essay?" Granger asked in a teacher-like mood.

"I didn't know you were a cheating type," Harry drawled, making the girl roll her eyes.

"I'm not," she snapped. "For your information, I've done my essay."

"So you don't need any of these books," Harry concluded, closing and putting the scattered books together. "What is it you want, then? Ask away and be done with it. I have more important things to do than waste my time away with you."

"Professors McGonagall and Sprout looked delighted by your essays," Granger said after a few moments of silent anger. Transfiguration taught by the stern Professor McGonagall and Herbology taught by Professor Sprout were the only classes they had together, aside from Defense, and the two Professors were truly pleased with the essays Harry had turned in. Professor McGonagall had even gone as far as comparing Harry with his mother.

"So what?" Harry asked, urging the girl to go on.

"You spend most of your time in the library," Granger went on, unfazed by Harry's harsh tone. "I bet you skip half of the meals. Just like this morning. You didn't turn up for breakfast."

"Why is it of your concern?"

"I'm your friend, remember."

_Friend, my foot,_ Harry thought as he rolled his eyes.

"Why do you study so much?" Granger asked when she didn't receive a reply from Harry aside from the rolling of his eyes.

"Why do _you_?" Harry asked back.

"I'm used to it. Books are my friends, I guess. It's your turn now," she said, raising an eyebrow for Harry to answer her question.

"We Slytherins are ambitious. We do anything to be great," Harry said, even though he didn't like to put himself in the same category with the other Slytherins, but he had no intention of telling her about his father. He knew what Granger's problem was. She liked to be better than everyone and Harry was a hard rival to beat.

"Look, let's make a deal," Harry went on before Granger had the time to make a comment. "I'll let you read my essay and you in turn will leave me alone. How does that sound to you?"

"Fine," she extended her hand for the essay.

"Be quick with it. I'd like to enjoy my end of the deal as soon as possible," Harry said quite rudely before he got up to put the books away.

True to her word, Granger left Harry after she was done reading his essay without a further comment, giving Harry his privacy back. When it was time for lunch, Harry couldn't ignore the knot in his stomach and left for the Great Hall. He tried to be finished with his food as quickly as possible and took something with him in case he couldn't make it to dinner which was proved useful when it was time to have dinner.

That night, Harry made it to the Slytherin Dungeon before curfew. It was Sunday the next morning and so he didn't have to be worrying about going back for a shower. He packed his book bag with the books he knew he would need and changed into some clean clothes. He then left for the Common Room and sat in a corner, occupying himself with his Potions book. He wasn't actually reading, though. He was waiting for the Common Room to evacuate before he left. It was what he did every night since that night Wilkes and Wells had attacked him.

And then it was time for wandering around the magnificent castle, trying to find a secluded area for the night. He had to be as stealthy as possible if he didn't want to be caught outside his dormitory after curfew. The moving staircases were another problem, especially after ending up in a dark spider-webbed room to be verbally attacked by Peeves, Hogwarts' poltergeist, and almost get caught. It didn't matter where he slept as long as he was safe. Even a lavatory would do wonders. Mrs. Norris, the caretaker's cat, was Harry's main problem. It was easier to get away from human beings than Filch's cat. Even Professor Snape with his stealthy movements didn't produce the fear in Harry which the blasted cat did.

Tonight, Harry was about to explore the fifth floor. He made his way out of the Common Room when he was sure no one would notice his absence. He had to be extra-careful about Landon. He passed the corridors one by one, fear gripping at his heart like a climber would do the rope. It was always the scariest part of his trip since there was no way to hide or flee if he were discovered. He was lucky that it had never happened, but he didn't think he would always be lucky.

His way out of the dungeons was unbelievably quiet. There were no Filch, Mrs. Norris or Professor Snape around to slow Harry down.

Lightening his wand, Harry made his way up the stairs, but he stopped at the second floor when he heard some disturbing noise. His heart skipped a bit before he realized there was no threat. Someone was crying nearby.

Harry strained his ears to find the source as he made his way into the corridor, stopping at different doors to check inside. Some of the doors were locked and required the Unlocking Charm which Harry had learned during summer in order to open his mother's locked closet with her wand and look for his own wand. It hadn't helped him at the time. Not only hadn't he found the wand, but also he was punished by washing the dishes for a whole wrenching week. He was lucky his mother hadn't taken his books away.

Harry didn't stop at any door more than it was needed before he made it to the next. They were all empty. Harry was halfway through the corridor when he realized where the sound was coming from. It was coming from the girls' lavatory which had a large OUT of ORDER sign on it; Harry had passed it without a second thought when he was searching the second floor for a nightly bedroom.

_Probably a homesick first-year,_ Harry thought. Curious to know who it was, he opened the door slightly, stopping when it creaked. He peeked in when the girl didn't stop crying, but could see no one around, even though the floor was flooding with water and a few of the faucets were running. Taking a look around the dark corridor, Harry pushed the door open and entered. He looked around the lavatory, using his wand for light, to find the crying girl in a corner hovering above the floor by a few inches. He stared at the ghost for a few seconds before he decided to talk.

"Hello there," he said in a low voice. The ghost stopped crying for a moment and looked at him before silver tears started running down her see-through cheeks again.

"Can I help you?" Harry asked politely.

"No one can help me," the ghost wailed. "I'm a lonely miserable girl stuck here. No one wants to spend time with me. They all tease me, calling me ugly. They don't even use this toilet anymore."

"What's your name?"

"Myrtle, but everyone calls me Moaning Myrtle 'cause I'm always crying," she added a sob for effect. Harry frowned as he thought of the sign on the door and Myrtle's earlier comment.

"Can I stay here for the night?" he asked after a full minute of contemplating. To his astonishment, the ghost stopped crying altogether, looking at Harry in disbelief.

"Why do you want to stay in a girls' bathroom?" Myrtle moaned after a few seconds.

"I need somewhere to stay for the night," Harry replied with a one-shoulder shrug. "I can understand if you don't want company, of course. It's all up to you. I'd better leave, I guess. Thanks, anyway," he added when the ghost remained quiet.

"You want to stay with me?" Myrtle looked at Harry through her thick pearly spectacles as she smoothed her lank hair in a dreamy way.

"I don't take much of a space, I promise. I just need a corner to sleep in at night. I'll try not to be a bother and stay out of your way if that's what you want," Harry said desperately. He was really tired of the late night wanderings. He didn't care if he slept in a gloomy girls' bathroom haunted by a miserable ghost if it meant he could have a night of undisturbed sleep away from Peeves and Mrs. Norris. Perhaps Moaning Myrtle's presence could keep them away.

"I'm beginning to like you, you know. I'll share this bathroom with you if you promise to come by again," Myrtle said, cheering up a bit. Nodding his head, Harry closed the faucets one by one as the ghost giggled nonstop. He knew he would soon succeed in casting the protective enchantments he was working on, but the ghost didn't need to know that for the time being.

"Is it okay if I sleep over there?" Harry asked tentatively, pointing to a one-meter high platform which really needed to be cleaned, but could do for the night. Receiving a nod, He lay on the platform, using his book bag as a pillow, and was soon asleep, too tired to listen to Moaning Myrtle's babbling as she complained about the many students who teased her.

The next morning when Harry woke up, he was aching all over like every other morning in the past week. He smelled a bit too, but he didn't want to go back to the Slytherin Dungeon to take a bath. After a quick conversation with Myrtle in which Harry thanked her and promised to come back at night, he slung his book bag on his shoulder and righted his clothes. He checked his face in the cracked mirror by his side, trying desperately to smooth out his messy hair and hide the lightening-bolt scar like he always did before he left the bathroom, thinking all the time that he really needed to learn Cushioning and Cleaning Charms, but he knew the protective charms were more important at the moment.

After breakfast, Harry took refuge in the safety of Hogwarts' library again and to his great relief, Hermione Granger didn't enter his sanctuary this time. The deal had apparently worked to his interest and he wished it would remain so. After a bit of studying, Harry decided to write a letter to Uncle Remus. He knew he couldn't write to his mother at the moment and he thought it was cruel of him to delay his uncle's letter any longer.

The letter was short since there weren't many things to write and he was soon out of the castle, walking through the Stone Circle to the West Tower to deliver it through Hedwig. Sending the letter with Hedwig, Harry made his way down to the Hogwarts grounds. He was about to go back to the Castle when he saw some figures flying in the sky in the oval-shaped Quidditch pitch.

The first-year Flying lesson was supposed to take place in two weeks, after the Quidditch trials were done with, and Harry was anxious to fly again. He had gone flying while in his Uncle Remus' house a few times, but his mother didn't like the idea of her son traveling around the flat on his broomstick.

Feeling tired of studying, Harry decided to go and watch the three flying figures. He was almost at the pitch when he stopped in his tracks. The figures were disturbingly familiar and Harry realized he didn't want to know who they were, though it was inevitable given that he could make out the three from the short distance he was from the pitch. His father, brother and godfather were flying and passing a Quaffle to each other, laughing so hard that he could hear their laughter. They were so much wrapped up in their game that none of them noticed the first-year Slytherin watching them.

Harry felt a pang of jealousy in his heart as he watched them. His mother had written that his godfather was about to spend the day at Hogwarts and he knew he had to expect such a scene, but nothing could brace him for the joyful get-together. He wished he had stayed in the library the whole day just like he had the previous day, but it was too late as his godfather's eyes paused on him.

Taking a deep breath, Harry turned around and ran away before the other two would see him. He was breathless by the time he reached the castle's front door, but he didn't stop. He went on running even when he knocked a boy who was proved to be Neville Longbottom to the floor. He didn't even stop to apologize to the poor boy. He was about to go up the stairs when someone grabbed him from behind. He panicked and struggled to get free to no avail. He was almost convinced Wilkes had him all to himself when his attacker talked.

"Harry," Sirius called to the boy's surprise. In his haste, Harry hadn't realized he was being followed by the Animagus.

"Let me go," Harry said angrily. He wasn't sure why he was angry. He'd known all along that Uncle Sirius was a constant visitor of the Potters. He had seen his godfather besides his father and brother at King's Cross Station, but he had not felt such a pain. Betrayal, in Harry's mind, was the best word to describe it.

Sirius turned him around to look at his face and Harry turned his head to the side, too hurt to look his godfather in the eyes.

"Harry, please look at me," Sirius said, squeezing Harry's arms.

"I don't want to see you anymore."

"I was about to come and see you after lunch, Harry."

"I don't care," Harry spat, looking at his uncle for the first time. "You'd better go back before _they_ get suspicious and come looking for you."

"I told James I've left something in his office," Sirius explained, angering Harry further.

"Then you can go and take it," Harry said, struggling in his godfather's arms. "Let go of me," he yelled. He wasn't ready for being granted his wish and fell to the floor when the hands were unwrapped from around his arms. He glared at Sirius before he got up and righted his book bag on his shoulder. His shoulder was killing him, but he had no intention of putting his bag down to rest.

"I need to talk to you, Harry."

"I have nothing to say," Harry said through gritted teeth.

"But I have."

Sirius extended a hand to touch Harry, but the boy took a step back.

"Then _I_ don't want to listen," Harry said before he turned around and ran away, leaving the confused Auror behind.

A/N: I want to add only one thing. Don't get mad at Hermione for reading the letter. It was done out of curiosity and she will kind of apologize for that later. Next chapter, Harry will be back in his dormitory.

By the way, Wilkes didn't go further than touching Harry's chest. That burning sensation Harry felt was his accidental magic which stopped Wilkes before he could do anything. There will be NO rape either or anything similar to what happened in the previous chapter. I've had a somewhat similar experience, so I won't let Harry go through that. Should I really change the rating to M?


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